From the Dimensions in Between
by LadyRuebo
Summary: The briefs are startled by a special visitor one stormy night. The future is in peril again! Will Trunks put his future and life at risk at the young age of fourteen to save this stranger who needs his help to rescue what remains ? This story does include some of my own original Characters!
1. Hide and Seek

**I do not own any of the characters or plot of the dragon ball franchises; they belong to Akira Toriyama This was written solely for entertainment purposes. Have Fun! I hope you enjoy this!**

The lily-cheeked goddess called the moon had already made her appearance in the expanse above. The stars were roaming across the night sky as the Earth danced on her axis. The end of Bulma's white coat tails fluttered in the soft lavender breeze. Stern black clouds approached from the western heights, imminently holding their angry tears. Bulma nervously brought her chin to her shoulder to see if he was still behind her. His footsteps were unremarkable, as usual. A sigh of relief passed by her lips when she realized that his choppy silhouette was still in view. She was eager to get back to the craft hanger in the east garden. Vegeta silently mocked her with his lack of haste.

"Vegeta, what are you waiting for?"

"Not afraid to be too far away are we?"

"No!"

Bulma turned on her heels. Her hands were firmly placed on her hips. Vegeta's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms across his built chest.

"You've been working in there all damn day. Your weak human ears are probably playing tricks on you."

"I'm positive."

She strolled off without him along the dark path. He didn't need light to see that her nose was in the air; he could hear it in her voice. He followed her footsteps along the path.

"I'm going to give Kakarott's harpy a piece of my mind…"

"Why?"

The last letter got stuck on her tongue. Her lips curled in intrigue.

"She has filled your head of this nonsense about bandits in Satan City."

"Earth to Vegeta: there was a random brick sitting on our porch this morning!"

"Your brat son did that… I am wowed. A brick. So scary.

"It's just wow-idiot. Say it with me, w-o-w."

"Say this with me, woman. Mass hysteria."

"Just shut up."

Her words echoed against the hollow metal structure. Bulma practically shoved him through the side door of the hanger. She peaked around the dome from behind Vegeta's shoulders before flipping on the hanging yellow lights above. He rolled his eyes at her humid panting breath on his neck. Of all things to fear, it was bandits-not space aliens, mad scientists, or demonic monsters- human bandits made of normal flesh and bone.

"Come…There is nothing here to see."

Her small hands still rested on his shoulder blades.

Meanwhile Trunks pulled his legs tightly underneath one another. He stared at the cover of _Treasure Island_ debating on if the first few paragraphs could lull him to sleep. He batted his thick lashes at the thought of staying awake a few more minutes. He cut his lamp of with clumsy fingers, and he brought the cusp of his comforter to his neck…paying no mind to his cracked door. He had nearly drifted away when the obvious sound found his ears. The loud creak caused his eyes to shoot wide open, but he was sure. It was merely his mother, at least he thought. Then he felt a glimmer in the dark, a spike of energy. It was as minute as the nervous twitch of an eyebrow during a conversation. He shuffled to the other side to peer through the door. A glimpse of violet flashed before his eyes. The patter of soft footsteps trotting down the hall was enough to rouse him to amble out of bed.

"Mom?", he called in a coarse voice. He poked his head just past the thresh-hold of the door.

Trunks looked left, right then left again before he stepped into the hallway. His bare feet were sticking to the cold hardwood floor. A strange swipe of air echoed in the dark as _someone_ dashed by the end of the hallway.

"Bra-chan, why are you awake?"

His voice was tempered with the coarseness of eluded sleep, but a smirk of mischief gnawed at his cheeks.

"Grandma will be looking for a certain little girl… better that she finds you before I do."

He thought he was closing in on her at the end of the hall when he recognized the patter of soft footsteps again.

 _Two can play at that game._

Trunks began to tip-toed in the opposite direction to back track her through the square of hallways in the compound. His spine straightened, as the realization hit him.

"Bra please come out before dad realizes that you've been wondering around by yourself!", he said in a strained whisper.

He would ease a little bit closer and _Bra_ would make a mad sprint around the corner _._ A few more moments passed before Trunks tried a different tactic altogether.

"If you get in bed now, I won't tell mom and dad that you've been wondering around…"

Relief flooded his senses after he heard the small girl's bedroom door ease open. Trunks peeped into Bra's bedroom, and she was curled underneath a mound of quilts. He loomed over her small _sleeping_ form in the white canopy bed. Both of his hands were poised by her sides.

"Boo!"

 _Oh Shit!_

Instead of being greeted with the sound of laugther, Trunks witnessed garbling, startled squeals of fear. She indeed had been asleep.

"Shhhh"

Trunks plucked her from the bed, enveloping her in his arms. He flipped the small bed over and quickly scanned the open and clear closet. He was holding Bra so tight that he was squeezing the breath out of her. Bra's shrill cry caused his ears to ring. In a matter of minutes Vegeta blasted through the door.

"What happened?"

Vegeta ripped the five-year-old from her brother's grasp, and she nestled into his shoulder. His brows furrowed as he stared a hole into his oldest child.

"Explain this. Now."

" Dad, there is someone in here…", Trunks whispered. His shimmering blue eyes bounded around the room. Bra looked up at Vegeta with her swollen eyes. Vegeta carefully examined the overturned bed with his perplexed onyx orbs.

"Trunks was hiding behind the door, den he scared me…"

Lines formed on Vegeta's forehead as the face of his son became hollow and glazed over. Bulma casually strolled into the dark room.

"Why are you three in here with the lights out?"

Vegeta brought a single finger to his lip and motioned for her to 'come hither' with his fingertips.

"What?"

Bulma entered the room with a reluctant stoop of the shoulders as if she was trying to be quiet. Vegeta handed Bra over to her mother. Trunks understood his father's silent request all too well.

 _Stay with your mother and your sister…_

Vegeta grasped the French door handle and gave it a flick of his wrist. He seized immediately, as the gears of his brain began to get stuck of their spindles. A small figure was huddled underneath a crimson cloak. The red cape was like scarlet ribbon zipping between Vegeta's legs, yet the assailant made no sound. Trunks dashed away as fast as his legs could carry him. The red shawl teased him, always gliding just a few inches from his reach. The nimble being led him down the hall, to the bottom of the stairs then through the back entrance. They both busted through the back door. Trunks could feel the clotting dirt kicked from his bare heels to the back of his calves. The specter in front of him disappeared in the tall untamed grass as they approached the aircraft hangar. The gales off the storm were bearing down on them as they navigated across the field. Trunks paid little mind to the stinging drops of rain, and he was too caught up to catch the shiver that was lingering in the cool night air. Trunks pushed the sliding side door, but it wouldn't budge. The prints of small boots were traced in the mud just in front of his clear foot prints. The shuffling prints ceased just in front of the entrance. His heel dipped into the soft dirt. He lifted his toes just to see how far they dangled over the edge of the tiny print. He nearly turned back around to get the keys from his mother's office desk back at the compound.

"What am I thinking?", he said shaking his head.

A warm orange light evolved in the palm on his hand, dissolving the lock into nothing in an instant. Trunks pushed the door away with ease and stepped into the hangar. The lights slowly flickered on with the flip of his finger. Bulma's wrenches were hanging neatly on the wall. Even her pens were still in place in a tin can on her greasy metal work bench. All drawers appeared to be intact and in their proper place. A closer examination revealed nothing out of the usual. Trunks briskly looked over his shoulder and his pupils dilated. A whisper, a subtle moan reached his ears. He thought it could have been summoned from the corners of his young imagination.

"Dad? Mom?"

His voice cracked with anticipation. He eased to the entrance of the hangar to step back out into the rain.

"ACHOO!"

The silence was betrayed by a sneeze. Trunks scanned the air above him. The red shawl rippled over the rail of the catwalk. He ducked outside, back into the rain. His ki flowed from his core to the soles of his feet, lifting him from the ground. Trunks rose to the roof of the hangar. His legs were poised for a soft landing. He landed just behind the red hood. His cheeks grew red at the sight of the small green capsule resting in hand under the thick red fabric.

"You're a real piece of work to hide in a little girl's bedroom. Give back what you stole, turn yourself in, and maybe you won't get hurt… Because between my dad and I… you won't stand a chance."

The short figure remained silent before him and only backed away, getting closer and closer to the edge of the roof. Trunks continue to stalk the interloper. He reached to rip the cape away and expose who was hiding underneath.

"Reveal yourself, you coward!"

His voice echoed off of each passing drop of rain. Trunks gasped when a small hand stopped his wrist in its vice grip. The hair stood up on the back of his neck when he caught a glimpse of this stranger's ki flashing before his blue eyes. He threw a startled punch under the hood, landing square in the face. The short figure collapsed onto the ground. A strange muted sound perplexed him and drew him closer to who was underneath. The stranger reached high above their head grasping something unseen. Trunks saw it in flashes of streaking lightening, wielded in their left hand. A rod carved of iron and stone, so thick that it barely fit in their thin fingers. A massive hammer projected far from the other side of their thin waist. The shaft of this mighty weapon was nearly as long as the outsider was tall. His cocky smirk melted off of his face as the massive gavel swung full force at him as if it weighed nothing. Trunks stooped out of the way of the attack. He caught the shaft with both of his hands mid swing. His brows raised as he struggled to hold the weapon back from the sheer force of will of his opponent. The handle of the mallet was jammed into his temple, using his own momentum against him. His legs were swept out from under him in a crack of thunder. The tale of the cape swirled over his head as it flew away from him once again into the wind, heading straight for the open air at the edge of the hanger. A fiery blast of ki was thrown from his hand, but it was deflected into the air by the palm of his opponent. He charged head on, throwing kicks and punches that were being dodged and blocked. Trunks plunged his knee deep underneath the hood. His knee dragged across their sharp ribs. A curdling cry of pain echoed into the night; it mimicked the retching heave of someone who was vomiting. The breadth of the hammer slammed into the side of Trunks' skull, and a veil of unconsciousness almost covered his gaze. A loud blast burned his ears, keeping him from venturing away from reality. He quickly regained his balance and joined his father. Vegeta soaked in the scorching aroma left behind from his blast.

"You don't belong out here boy…"

His words pierced the confidence of his son like a needle through his skin. Vegeta approached the doubled over figure with his arm still stretched out in active threat. His hardened features fell when two small hands of retreat begged him for no more. With a grunt Vegeta pulled the shroud away.

Dark blue eyes peered up at him underneath thick black lashes. A young lady was to be found in the collecting puddle. Her knees were tucked underneath her chin and high cheeks. Vegeta hesitated to act at first. Her large violet poms of silky hair were wobbling with fear; they were tight and neat as if they were just placed earlier that day. Her dangling bracelets shuddered on her shaking wrists. Vegeta grasped her tightly by her boney ankle. She planted a red boot hard into his chest. His eyes fluttered- it actually hurt! Vegeta drug her from reach of her weapon in one fluid motion. She dangled before them in the air upside down. The teenager barely crossed the thresh-hold of being five feet tall. Her shirt hung over her reddening face. Her denim jacket fell to the metal platform below as she thrashed her limbs in the air against Vegeta's grip. Her muscled were tense with frustration.

"Put me down!", she commanded with a firm tongue. Her voice resonated in their chests.

"Well then I suggest that you… Stop. Squirming."

Vegeta shook her at the end of each word. He hoisted her ankle high above their heads. She finally stopped trying to kick his arm off his shoulder. She folded her arms across her chest. A single green capsule clanked on the metal flight deck as it fell from her dainty knee-high boot. Trunks let it roll past him completely unnoticed. His eyes were too fixed on her pursed, pouting lips. Tears settled on her lashes as they tried to escape. Her eyes were like deep blue roses blooming above her cheeks. His frown weakened at the sight of her whimpering. A catch developed in his throat, and his eyes were filled with unfamiliar empathy.

 **Welcome to chapter 1 of my new series! Thank you for reading. As always your reviews and feedback are extremely important and appreciated. Feel free to PM me.**


	2. Heart on your sleeve

" _Estella, over here!"_

 _She tiptoed in her orange converse sneakers. A wide toothy smile hid behind stifled giggling. Her long kinky red curls swayed off of her shoulders._

" _It's a secret. Grandpa said you are the only one I could tell about it.", KJ responded to her emerald green eyes. She grasped her hand and led her to the south garden. She crouched down, beckoning for the tall girl to follow behind her. Estella duck walked hunkering as low as her long legs would allow. They knelt next to one another directly behind the gravity chamber._

" _KJ, where are we going? Is it where I think it is?"_

" _I don't know, depends…"_

 _Estella's eyes widened as she studied her friend's wicked smirk._

" _Follow me!"_

 _K.J. pulled her high into the air with her grasp. Estella gently pulled away and hovered in the air. A brisk spring wind whipped her curls around her high freckled cheeks. She quickly pulled her hair back into a messy bun._

" _You know how my dad is! We're going to get caught!"_

" _He won't catch us. He will only feel grandpa! Cover your eyes… trust me"_

" _Okay…"_

 _Estella felt the Wind at her back coming and going as it pleased. She clasped KJ's warm fingers and allowed herself to be pulled._

" _Open your eyes!"_

 _After a few moments she heard KJ's suave voice. Estella fluttered her eyes at the glorious noon sun._

" _The cherry blossoms are here early!", Estella cried._

 _The flat bobbling lily pads reflected in their bright eyes. Limbs heavy with soft pink blooms kissed the surface of the water. KJ plopped down on the wooden bench, and Estella eased onto the bench and crossed her legs at her ankles._

" _I told you it would be worth it. What do you think?"_

 _Estella remained silent with her sight fixed straight ahead. Her thick lips remained unturned. Her green orbs became lackluster underneath her prim brows._

" _Well was it?", KJ probed._

" _I certainly wasn't…"_

 _The image was forever burned into KJ's mind. Estella's caramel skin was mutilated, as if it had been smoldered off of the bone. Her face had been peeled off of her muscles, hanging on by strands of mottled tissue. Her eyes had sunken deep into the recesses of her skull. Her curves and once muscular toned physique had wasted away._

"Wake up! It's about time that you got up…"

"Mom, why is she sweaty?", Bra chimed.

Bulma stared at their peculiar house guest, more particularly the tangled mess that she had made in the guest bed. Bulma ignored Bra's comment with an awkward, polite nod.

"Good evening, my son left some clean clothes for you in the bathroom… My name is Bulma", she began formally.

The young girl eerily sat straight up in bed. Her sapphire eyes locked on their blue silhouettes in the doorway. She franticly searched her bed for something, like a cat batting an insect between its paws in the grass.

"…I will wait outside for you. We have much to discuss."

In an instant Bulma and Bra became a flash, a memory in the back of her mind as the door closed. KJ threw her legs over the side of the bed. A headache pushed behind her eyes, coming like a strike of lightening as she tried to stand up. She steadied herself against the wall. As she headed for the bathroom, she noticed her red stole neatly folded into a triangle. Her imposing hammer was placed neatly on top of it; her golden sash was still attached to the pommel on the hilt of her weapon. Her boots were neatly tucked into the corner.

KJ shyly poked her head from behind the door. The hunter green long sleeve shirt that was loaned swallowed her whole. Her black athletic shorts hung a few inches past her knees. They were minor inconveniences; she was thankful to have a shower. KJ pushed a lock of her long hair behind her ear. Bulma stood in front of the door with her arms crossed behind her back.

"Here take this. I'm sure that your head hurts…my husband can be impulsive.", her voice ached with restrain. She shook a small white bottle in her right hand. Bulma practically threw the bottle of pills at her.

"We are going to go downstairs and have some tea. Then, you are going to tell me why the hell you were in my house last night…"

KJ rubbed the back of her head, remembering what ensued the night before. She reluctantly followed Bulma down an elaborate spiral staircase, eventually to their mahogany kitchen table in the dining room. Bulma ushered her to sit at the end of the table. KJ slipped into the wooden high back chair with ease, but her body was racked with nervous tension. Four different sets of eyes stared at her from the other side of the endless table. Quaint crème colored teacups were the only separation between them. She trembled as she tried to bring a flawless cup to her lips. Her sleeves covered her thumbs, making the handle a little too hard to grasp…

"I'm sorry…", she offered as she tried to clean the spilled tea with a nearby napkin.

"Are you sorry about this?"

Vegeta's voice sent a shiver down her spine. He plucked the green capsule from Bra's curious hands as she sat contently on his knee.

"Such tact Vegeta…", Bulma said, rolling her eyes.

"I apologize that this all has happened, but I will leave and never come back if you let me go… I understand that I scared you."

"Scared is an understatement. No one has _ever_ made it past security into this compound.", Bulma began.

"Do you think we're stupid?", Vegeta interrupted.

"Of the hundreds of capsules to choose from, you picked this-a simple hard drive.", Bulma interjected before Vegeta could go any further.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I will leave right now and save you the trouble", KJ said as she attempted to exit the conversation. She slowly rose from her seat at the end of the table. She lowered her cup neatly on its place mat and turned her back to them.

"We saw your jacket! You could have just taken that capsule and left, but you didn't. You decided to come inside!", Trunks reminded her. His words were like sharp blades in her back

KJ's feet were glued to the floor. She could no longer resist. She couldn't peel her wide eyes away from trunks. She ran her fingers through her long wavy locks, pulling the ends away from the small of her back. She straightened out the stray loose curls into subtle waves. The arm of her jacket rested in his loose grip. They glared at the neatly placed patch sewed onto it as if they've never seen the nesting capsule corps 'c'. Trunks allowed the loop to be pulled from his grip as the jacket returned to her clutches. A red capsule pack stuck out from the brim of the jacket's breast pocket.

"Maybe we can help you if you would just tell us what you need…", he said with wisdom far beyond his few years.

"It has a hard-drive and a few other things that you could possibly use…", Bulma added in a matter of fact manner behind a sip of tea, seeing her guest's gaping mouth.

"I can tell you little...", the young girl whispered.

"Well, let's start little. My name is Trunks. What's your name?"

A smitten smile crept onto Bulma's face as she listened to his patient tone.

"Call me KJ."

"This is my father Vegeta and my five-year-old sister Bra. You've already met my mother."

A knowing, mischievous grin evolved below KJ's watery eyes at the mention of Bra's name. Vegeta shrugged his shoulders as he crossed his arms; it was the best introduction he would offer.

"I'll be fifteen next month. How old are you?", he pressed.

"I'm sixteen years old…"

"…and why are you here?"

"I can't tell you that." Her voice quivered, "I have to leave."

"At least stay another night. It's so late. I won't send you out to wander the city. I will not be responsible for something happening to you", Bulma demanded, "I was 16 once…"

"I really need to go…"

"Just stay until morning."

 **Author's Note: Thank you for reading chapter two; as always please read and review. If you are enjoying this series, please read and review some of my other pieces of work. I am willing to take requests and suggestions! Please feel free to PM me. ^-^**


	3. Finger Prints on the Moon

Trunks reminded himself that morning would come early for his father, but his eyelids still felt so heavy. He found the legs of his gi in the dark, careful to tiptoe about in his own room. The neon blue numbers on the clock jolted his muscles awake.

"3:02AM… three hours until he wakes up", he meditated to himself.

Trunks quickly stuffed his boots with his feet and tried to crack open the bed room door.

"Oh shit!"

He forgot to unlock the door. The Stryker in the handle banged against the wooden door frame. He didn't have to be in the hall to hear the loud echo travel throughout the complex. He ran his hands through his lavender locks and remained still, feeling for a subtle rise in energy.

Nothing.

He moved every joint and muscle with extreme caution as he navigated from his room through the long hallway. He approached Bulma's office, smelling it before it even came into sight. The harsh scent of soldered wire and grease burned his nostrils. A heavy groan passed by his lips; a simple key pad was the only thing keeping him out and it was doing its job well.

0205… _beep_!

 _0502…beep!_

Trunks closed his eyes tight when the sharp, unexpected beep of denial pricked his ears.

0512… _beep!_

He cracked his neck and rolled his head from side to side before he tried one last time with _her_ birthday.

0203… _gashun-click_

His brows furrowed at those four little numbers. Blood flowed away from his cheeks, and his ears finally began to cool when he turned the handle and the door opened. It was right where his mother left everything- on her desk. He held the smooth, flat, perfectly round object in his palm before slipping it into his pocket. He turned around immediately as the startling noise struck his nerves. He slowly pushed the door close, holding the handle down so even it wouldn't be heard and opted to wait in the dark for _Bulma_ to pass. Little glimmers of energy cried to him from the hall as the window was being shoved open.

 _She would forget to open it tonight_ , he thought, _and would have to come now…_

He unconsciously tapped his foot against the tiled floor as he waited for the quiet sounds of her footsteps to disappear. He re-emerged when he thought the coast was clear. The open window tempted him from afar as the wind mingled with the long lacey curtains. His foot-steps were brisk once he made his decision. He leapt into the cloudy night sky from the open window, now thankful that part of her routine slipped her mind. He fumbled in his pocket until he found the green, pocket watch sized disk. He pushed the center of the flat radar screen and its bright light flashed in his blue eyes. A small red dot appeared off of the center of the map.

"Just two miles outside of the city", he thought aloud.

He flew blindly into the murky air, only heading in the direction of the telling red dot. The tip of the arrow in the center of his radar grew closer and closer to the red dot as he flew. When he realized he could be only a few hundred meters away, he touched down on the flat land below, recognizing the sound of crumpling grass underneath his feet. He walked along the surface of the earth, only to be guided by the small red dot. He tightened the grip of the radar in his hand, when the outline of a large structure began to grow in the distance.

"3:52, not bad", he remarked before slipping the radar back into his pocket.

He forced his energy to his hand, just enough to light his way in the dark. Trunks scanned the odd structure for any sign of an entrance. He immediately thought of a sharp waning crescent moon after he examined it. His hand glided across the smooth, rubbery shell of the craft. The color of the two golden spheres attached to the innermost point of the silver moon provided stark contrast in the dark.

 _So this is how you got here…_

He stubbed his fingers against an inlet in the shell. He quickly gripped the metal bar in the palm of his hand, realizing what he had found. Trunks scaled the curving metal ladder with ease, leading him directly to the hatched roof of the craft. His hands rested on a red lever, but he couldn't bring himself to pull it.

 _Do I really want to know…?_

The stinging wind snapped him back to reality. He gave the bar a quick tug with his firm muscles, but it didn't budge. He shrugged his shoulders and pulled just a little harder. The loud sound of metal scrubbing against itself forced him to grind his teeth. A cloud of dirt and dust rose from the surface as Trunks whisked the heavy hatch away. He eased himself into the hatch. Tiny sprinkled lights flickered on above his head; they were like tiny pinpoint holes in the floor of heaven. He hunkered down and surveyed them, unsure of how high up they were. Trunks stood back up and quickly lifted his hand in the air, unable to reach the lights although he was able to feel the low ceiling with his fingertips.

 _Stars?_

He quickly explored the main compartment of the sleek craft, being pressed for time. He looked at his reflection on the continuous shiny surface sprawling against the curved wall. The black console looked as if it was covered in green sea-glass.

 _Not where you're supposed to be…_

A brown leather backpack sitting on the console caught his eye. He carefully peeled away the brown flap from what rested underneath. He rummaged through the bag, careful not to move it from its spot. He tried to slide his hand through the opening, but it proved difficult for it was nearly too small. He pulled out the items one by one. Several hard cover books with black spines were first, then a few simple chord bracelets, and finally a small tin box. Numberswere written in crisp cursive letters in silver ink along the spines of all of the books except for one. He pulled the small radar from his pocket for motivation to flip that first page.

 _4:12, I have to hurry_.

He flipped open the un-numbered book, which was the smallest of the collection.

Dear Jax,

I found Penny-Lane today. I think she is happy to see me; she won't stop meowing! She let me pet her! I'm going to go find some food for her today.

Trunks wrinkled his nose at what he just read, but he still flipped the page.

Dear Jax,

I found another dragon ball today. I just wish I knew how to use them when I find them all!

And he couldn't keep himself from reading yet another…

Dear Jax,

I've been running all night long. I finally found the six star ball, but I'm afraid that they'll find me…

And another…

Dear Jax,

I wish that you were still here…

Dear Jax, Dear Jax, Dear Jax… over and over again.

"Dear Jax?", he asked himself as if he could muster the answer before he slammed the small book shut with a single hand.

Trunks carefully placed the books back in the bag. He handled the corded arrow bracelets with prudence. The small tin box came to rest in his grasp. He gently rolled the box, like a child eagerly shaking a present trying to discern what is inside. His thumb rested just below the tiny clasp on the metal frame.

 _Let's see what's in-_

Trunks whipped his head behind him, interrupted with the tin box still in hand. The red hooded stranger stood below the open hatch of the craft. Her sapphire eyes were draped in pale moon light.

"Get. Out.", she growled.

"No. "

"Go!", she pointed to the hatch above.

"Make me…little girl".

Trunks' voice was laced with venom. Her eyes turned to steel that was forged with the fires of hell itself. The air smelled like ozone between them. She flung her red stole from her muscular shoulders. Her intimidating gavel hung from her side, secured to her back with a golden sash tied around her waist. Trunks felt something stir in his chest as she swung her hammer. He side stepped her swing.

"Oh no, learning curve..", he teased.

She wiped the entertained smile off of his face when she ripped the sash from the pommel of her weapon. His face contorted as she wrapped the flowing fabric around his neck. Her legs squeezed the breath from his lungs as she coiled them around his waist. His own muscles prevented him from tearing her from his back. He collapsed on his back on top of her. She released him after falling onto the floor.

"Satisfied now?", she asked from the cabin floor.

"Are you hurt?", he couldn't help but inquire. He rested a single hand on the glass top of the console.

"I'm fi-

"PRINTS ACCEPTED, READY TO JUMP, PLEASE REMAIN SEATED", a soft female voice exclaimed throughout the cabin.

The whole console lit up blue from distal to proximal to where Trunks' hand laid. KJ frantically studied the only dim part of the console, his hand print. KJ quickly hopped to her feet. All the color fled Trunks' face as he digested the words that just floated through the cabin. He could almost see the steam rising from KJ's head. The whir of the engines overtook their voices.

"What!?", Trunks yelled, trying to gather all he could from her desperate moving lips. She wrapped her hand around his ring and middle finger and led him to the hatch. The scene he found himself in was silent noir in black and white. He couldn't believe that it was really happening. Her muscles bulged from the might of her attempt to open the hatch. Trunks lifted his arms and tried to help her turn the red valve… their only way out. The once curved opaque wall against the console became as clear as a window. They were thrown against the cabin floor under insurmountable g-force pummeling their bodies. It was so strong that Trunks couldn't even open his eyes. All he could feel was KJ's hand still tightly wrapped around his fingers.

 **Thank you for reading! I would love more reviews. If you are enjoying this, please check out my other stories! ^-^**


	4. A Penny for your Thoughts

**Thank you for reading! Please review. It is so important Please let me know your thoughts and where you hope this story goes. I hope you enjoy the latest chapter. ^-^**

"Do you realize what you've done?!", KJ fumed.

"What I've done? You're the one who decided to attack me!"

"You badgered me on!", she scoffed as she recovered the tin box from the floor. She rubbed its newest dent as if she could soothe the pain away. Their knees felt as unstable as a crashing ocean wave when gravity returned to normal.

"You had no business being on this ship or going through my things! Now, I can't take you back!"

Both of their faces were scorching from the heat with in.

"I'm stuck here? Where are we KJ?, if that really is your name…"

Gru shivered underneath the oily quilt he covered himself in. Rain pelted the side of the noisy tin roof. He had nearly drifted away paying no mind to the storm toiling to soak the world outside.

 _M_ !

The building quaked from the ground up. Gru bounced off of his metal bench, falling onto the cracked concrete floor. He shielded his pearly black eyes from the blinding blue light. The waning vessel slipped through the riff in time. The air stitched itself together, closing shut like a zipper. Gru ran up the steps as fast as his legs could carry him. The stout whirlwind created in the wake of the craft blew his flesh to the opposite side of his soft bones. He felt as if his skin was going to be peeled away. He climbed the steps of the side of the craft; his limbs stuck to the ice cold exterior of the ship. Gru grabbed the red lever with both hands. He hopped off the side of the vessel levying his weight to budge the hatch open.

"You're back!", he cried as the door flung open. KJ' fists were balled up by her sides. Trunks crossed his arms and turned his attention to the foreign voice. KJ elbowed him. Trunks' eyes twitched as he tried to deviate them from the small spindly being. Gru swing from the lever to the inside of the craft.

"Trunks… tis nice name", Gru said slowly in his high pitch voice.

 _How wonderful it is to meet you. I've heard so much about you._

His eyes wondered to KJ, demanding an explanation while he shook yet another stranger's hand. Trunks gently gripped his coal black hand; he feared that he may accidentally break his twig-like fingers.

"Estella?", Gru called. He bobbed his head from side to side peering to see what or who was behind them.

"Gru?!", KJ threw up her hands in disbelief.

"Wait, how did he know my name?", Trunks said shaking his head in disbelief.

"Gru sorry, KJ"

"It's okay…", she responded before turning her attention back to Trunks.

"Gru is Caldien?", she said as if it was common knowledge.

Trunks only responded with his frown.

"Gru's race only speaks telepathically to one another. You can speak to him using your mind, but we can't receive his messages…"

"Dis why Gru speaks. Your language is de bane of Gru's existence"

Gru's beady black eyes widened over his toothless smile. Trunks cringed.

"Tis alright… Gru think you creepy too…"

Trunks coughed as if Gru's words left a bad taste in his mouth.

"And you think I was being rude?"

KJ shrugged her shoulders at his question.

"Food? Both want food? Gru found food, while gone."

"Yes… I'm sure that Trunks is hungry too."

Gru briskly climbed from the hole he came. KJ stuffed the tin box back into her bag and tossed the strap across her shoulder. Trunks picked up the heavy gavel from the floor, wilding it with a mischief grin. He gingerly offered the handle to her. KJ snatched the weapon from his grasp and secured it to her side again with her sash. She nodded for Trunks to follow her up the ladder. The wind tussled Gru's straight line of black hair. It stood on end, even and stiff. It reminded Trunks of a straw broom that rested in the corner of his mother's workshop. His skin was the color of the fresh ashes of the fire below. A six inch gap between the roof and wall allowed the blowing wind to seep in. The seals of the glass windows along the tops of the walls were covered in tape. Trunks continued to follow them to the long creaking metal steps.

"Gru fix…"

"It looks so much better, thank you", KJ added

 _It looks better?,_ Trunks thought

"Jess, much better…", Gru covered his offense with a smile.

Trunks jumped into the wind from the edge of the deck. He mustered his ki underneath him to glide gracefully down, but he plummeted to the concrete below.

"You can't use your ki here...", KJ said as she and Gru trotted down the steel steps.

Trunks followed suit and sat next to them at the fire. His legs were actually sore from his fall! Gru passed him two small silver cans. The teenager carefully muted his thoughts as he stared on in disbelief.

"Thank you", trunks said before pulling the tab back on the first tuna can.

"So, where are we? Why am I so… so weak?", he tried.

… _Mew…_

A portly cat emerged from the shadow of the upper deck. Her padded feet made her the stealthiest of them all on the concrete. KJ pulled her onto her lap.

"You're in our time… isn't he Penny Lane. You can't use your ki because of the massive disruption transmitter _they_ planted when they got here.", she lulled to the Persian cat rolling around in her lap. KJ ran her fingers through her long black, grey tipped fur.

"I don't have enough fuel to get you back… with quicksilver anyway".

She scooped some tuna from the can and created a neat pile for the finicky creature.

… _Mew_ … _Mew_

"But I do have these…", she said as she stood and walked to a warped toolbox away from her feline friend.

"You'll know how to use them, maybe."

Trunks did not regret following her to that drawer. Six dragon balls rested inside, in their orange shinning glory.

"You get one wish, when you have all of them. If you help me, I'll let you use my wish to go home to your own time… we have to find one more dragon ball."

"Who the hell are you people?", Trunks couldn't hold back anymore.

KJ sighed as she slammed the drawer shut.

"Trust me, I wish I could tell you as much as you do"

Her voice was weak.

"KJ sad…", Gru mumbled as he rose from his place by the fire.

 _Fool, you have no tact. If only you knew…_

"Five months to find!", Gru stammered fiercely at Trunks as he stormed in between the much taller teenagers.

"I came to your world by accident…Almost a year ago _they_ came back to Earth. We tried to fight back, but we couldn't fight to our full potential. They killed so many and collected others to for various other reasons. The rest are being herded together like cattle to be relocated they took or killed nearly everyone I know… my family. Estella, my friend is still alive. I was trying to go get her when I ended up in your time. A fail safe programmed into the ship only allowed me to travel to the past. I didn't realize it until it was too late. I got stuck in your time, I-"

"You needed a hard drive to reprogram the ship…", he interrupted.

"Yes…", she said abruptly.

"Help me get Estella; you can fully operate the ship. If I reprogram it, I may lose the coordinates to Earth…"

"Wait, you said you needed fuel…"

"I don't have enough to travel to the past, but it can have enough to travel to the past, but it can warp us to the next dimension and back!"

"Whoa, whoa what? Where did you get it in the first place?

Trunks pointed to the craft.

"I stole it!", she bellowed, "From you, you designed it- genius!"

KJ scooped the large furry cat in her arms as she walked away from him.

"Who are you?", he asked again in a quiet tone.

"Are you going to help us or not?"

"…Okay, I'll help you if you let me use the dragon balls."

KJ's face lit up at his words.

"Really!? You know how to use them?", she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yes and yes"

He couldn't help but smile in her loose embrace; her scent lingered on his green gi.

" _What have I done_?", Trunks thought to himself as they resumed their place by the fire.

"Some-ting good…", Gru answered through his knowing smile.


	5. Indigo to Oblivion

**Author's Note: Forgive me if this story is moving along slowly. Please review so I may know what you like and what you don't like so much... Let me know what you think! As always thank you all for reading! Feel free to PM me as well, with suggestions. Enjoy!**

"Bulma… Trunks is strong. He will get through this. Please calm down."

"I can't believe that he's gone!I'm so worried about him, Chi-Chi. Who knows where he is or if he is safe", she sobbed, "Vegeta thinks that he went with her…"

Chi-Chi massaged Bulma's shoulder, trying to convey certainty with her nervous fingers.

"What if he's hurt? He's probably so lonely…", she said whisking a stray sparkling tear from her cheek.

 _Trunks and KJ intersected paths, going to and from the ship._

" _Sheesh! You need to change your clothes. You're going to get those towels dirty!",she laughed._

" _They're shop towels! They'll get dirty anyway…"_

" _Come on…", she whined as she pulled Trunks back down the steps by his sleeve._

" _Where are we going?"_

" _You are going to try some things on. A trunk for Trunks!"_

" _You're insane…"_

" _Thank you…", she laced her words with sarcasm._

 _She bent over from the waist, digging in an enormous, worn steamer trunk tucked underneath the stairwell. Trunks rolled his eyes at her legs occasionally kicking off of the floor to reach what she was looking for._

" _Don't hurt yourself… This may be too dangerous for someone of your stature… Do you need an adult?"_

 _He tried not to laugh._

" _oopsie…"_

 _His smirk disappeared when a t-shirt was flung on his face. He pulled the black long sleeved garment from his head to find a folded pair of green cargo pants in KJ's arm._

" _These will fit…"_

" _Thanks, I appreciate this."_

 _Trunks closed his eyes and bowed before taking the pants from her grasp._

" _Oh, before you go change. Do me a favor…"_

" _Sure…"_

" _Close your eyes…", she said softly to ease his reluctance._

 _Trunks shut his eyes tight. He felt something slide up the bridge of his nose. Cold plastic kissed the back of his ears. His eyes fluttered open at the sound of KJ's snorting giggles. Trunks' cheeks were painted a soft pink at the sight of her nose crinkling from laughter._

" _They suit you…", she grinned, ""I never thought I-"_

 _Her eyes became lackluster. Her cheerful cheeks began to rest._

 _Trunks pulled off the thick black framed reading glasses interrupting KJ and stuck them on her face. The large square frames accented her big diamond shaped eyes. They slid off of her petite nose._

" _Four eyes…", he uttered before pushing the black frames back up the bridge of her nose._

Bulma shifted in the thick couch cushions. She cleared her throat with a deep breath.

"Thank you so much for coming over. I can always count on you guys", Bulma said as she wiped her reddened eyes.

"No problem, Bulma. I'm sure that between you and Gohan that you can figure out a way to find him and get him back…", Chi-Chi reassured with her hands on Bulma's shoulders.

Goku blocked Vegeta's swift boot. His fists remained directly in front of his face. Vegeta turned his back on his opponent. Something rare in itself.

"You're distracted.", Goku said plainly over the mind numbing hum of the gravity chamber. Vegeta's chest heaved for cool air.

"Vegeta…?", Goku's voice echoed back to himself in such unfamiliar tone. He stepped closer to his marked bare back.

"Vegeta… I'm sorry. Trun-"

"Don't speak his name Kakarrott!", Vegeta yelled before he bypassed Goku's comforting hand. He wrenched his grip on his forearm and aggressively pulled Goku's forehead to his own. Goku fell on his butt before Vegeta turned away to stew over again.

"Owww Vegeta! Why'd ya have to do that for?"

Goku rubbed the growing pump knot on his forehead and climbed to his unsteady feet.

"I'm sure I've hurt your feelings more than your head…", Vegeta began.

"Goku!", Chi-Chi's voice boomed as if it was the voice of God over the intercom, catching both men off guard, "Let's go home. Meet me inside."

"Okay, we'll be right in!", Goku yelled into the chamber ceiling.

"Let's go Kakarrott…", Vegeta mumbled as he wrapped a towel around his neck.

The sun had already came to rest, tired from rolling across the endless blue sky when they exited the chamber. Chi-Chi braced the wind with her crossed arms; it still cut through her thick yellow dress and boots.

"I'm starving", Goku said as Chi-Chi walked to his side.

"We'll eat soon", She replied as she wrapped her arm around Goku's elbow.

Bulma's white lab-coat provided contrast for Bra's dark blue locks of hair as she clung to her mother's thin shoulder.

"Daddy it's so cold!", Bra piped up from underneath her mother's coat.

Vegeta took Bra into his arms and wrapped his hand around the back of her head as she collapsed onto his broad warm chest. Her shoulders slumped as she began to relax…

"You need to take it easy… both of you…", Chi-Chi preached, warning them with her erect index finger, "Remember if you need a break, Bra is more than welcome to come to aunt Chi-Chi's house…"

Bra began to fall asleep in her father's arms, warming from the heat of his skin.

" Besides it's only been a week. Trunks is a smart kid and one hell of a fighter. He'll be fine. I'm willing to bet that he may even find a way back on his own. But we'll have Gohan call tomorrow", Goku added, "No worries…"

 _It_ finally fell from Bra's tiny sleeping fingers. R _at-a-tat-tat_ it fell onto the stone patio.

"Daddy, would you please pick up my _worry stone_ …", she slurred waking from her slumber.

Goku picked up the perfectly round purple stone from the right of his toes. He passed it to Vegeta's bare left hand. He raised the dense small stone high, to the apple of his eye. The moonlight luster made the indigo hue all the more clear to all five of them.

"Where did you find this princess?", Vegeta hushed his coarse voice.

"Grandma found it when she and I were walking in the garden a few days ago."

Vegeta continued to roll it between his fingers under the moon light. He felt a smooth crease on the pad of his fingers.

"Daddy, you broke it!"

Vegeta couldn't help but smile at her fiery temper.

"No, I didn't. Grandma gave you a locket.", he countered. The stone was hinged in half, and a small silver chain fell out of it. He looped the chain around her neck with his free hand. Her tiny fingers twiddled their new discovery. Vegeta grasped the sides of the stone with his thumb and finger so they could both see _his_ picture inside.

 _I wonder where she and the old man bought this?, he thought._

Vegeta and Bulma's brows furrowed as they looked at each other with concern. The _locket_ was empty-, holding black, nothingness. Vegeta held the small stone between his fingers once more.

"How pretty…", Goku began innocently.

Bra smiled shyly at her 'uncle'.

"What did you expect, she is royalty…", Vegeta said proudly as he ushered her head to the crook of his neck.

"Vegeta!", Bulma yelled as a red aura glowed around Bra's body.

Vegeta held onto her tiny form as tightly as he could. Her skin felt as if someone or something had set her aflame, yet she did not burn. Her body warped like a streak of light through a glass of water. Her small form poured into the locket like steam filtering into a kitchen vent.

"Bra!", he yelled as he tried to rip the locket from her chest. She slipped through his bare fingers, like sand carried by a hot dessert wind. In a streak of light she was gone. The locket was all that remained, smoldering hot on the stone patio.

"BRA!", Vegeta screamed as he tried to pry the locket open. He blasted it with his blazing angry ki, yet it proved to be impervious. He stomped the small jewel with all his might, but it did not falter. Bulma pulled him away from the dastardly gem by his arm.

"If you destroy it, we may never get her back!", Bulma scolded him.

"Bra! No, how have I allowed this to happen twice!", he strained as he stared at his empty arms.


	6. Circuit Breaker: Bring the Rain

**Author's note: Thank you to those who have diligently read this story. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update this. As always I appreciate all who read this chapter. Please feel review and PM me. Please tell me what your thoughts are. I need feedback on this piece. Enjoy ^-^**

Trunks swept the warehouse with his bored eyes. The monotony of the past couple of days seemed unbearable. He watched as KJ stepped onto the crate that sat on the concrete floor. It provided just enough height to allow her eyes to scan out of the cracked window.

"Rain…"

Trunks couldn't help but notice her soft tone; it was as if she was grateful. She stepped to something covered underneath a cream colored cover- one of the many concealed things in the hangar. She pulled off of the heavy cotton tarp in one swift motion. Trunks leaned closer on his bench when he heard the heavy tarp cut the air. Not a speck of dust was to be found on the imposing slate grey motorcycle.

 _She couldn't possibly ride that thing,_ Trunks thought, _It's pouring the rain…_

KJ slipped one leg over the side of the bike. She opened the choke on the machine, pushed in the clutch, and turned over the key. Trunks felt the loud humming of the motorcycle in his chest. KJ tightened the yellow sash that strapped her heavy hammer to her back.

"I'll be back before morning breaks, or when-ever the rain stops", She added under her breath, "We need more supplies before we can launch the ship, and I'm gonna try one more time to disarm the transducer."

"You can't be serious?", Trunks scolded her.

"You've got to be-"

"Trunks want to go wit you…", Gru cut her off from her rant.

KJ took a deep breath and pulled her silver helmet onto her head. Trunks could still feel her eyes burning into him through the black visor.

" Gru, you don't want to come?"

"KJ no need me…"

"You know I do, and you know why…"

"I would be no good…ma leg is still not right from b'fore."

KJ sighed.

"Come on… but be ready for anything…", she finally agreed as she turned her attention to Trunks.

Trunks smirked as he darted over to the motorcycle. He eased onto the back of the bike.

"Thanks Gru!", she yelled through her helmet. Gru heaved the chains that weight more than he did rolling the hangar door open. She opened the throttle and beamed through the door before it was fully rolled away into the ceiling above. Trunks clang to the sides of the bike, leaning when she leaned into each curve. He could barely see into the smoggy night air. They passed by shanty after shanty, tent after tent. They weaved in and out of traffic that had been stalled for many moons. Trunks could almost smell the rust in the air. He could feel something pulsating inside his chest… throbbing from beneath his breast bone. He clenched his chest as he bumped on the back of the bike. The headlight only traveled so far ahead, disappearing into the opaque darkness. The miles seemed to move around them. Sparking flames could be seen in the far distance, roaming farther and farther away as they moved into the city scape. The tall pines that surrounded them became sparse, disappearing into buildings that had crumbled into ruin.

"Did they do all of this!?", Trunks yelled over the roar of the engine.

"Yes!", she returned.

The bike began to slow, eventually rolling to a stop. KJ popped the kick stand out and hopped off, kicking up the dust with her boots. Trunks followed her. KJ walked the heavy bike underneath an aged pine. The tree appeared to be weeping in the strong wind, leaning to the east, covering its face. KJ lifted a single finger to the edge of her visor Trunks only saw the shadow on her helmet.

"We must be quiet or we will be found…"

Her voice was like a whisper in the wind. She pulled a cloak made of mesh fishing net and pine branches over the bike.

"I've done this a thousand times… we will be fine", she whispered sensing his overbearing eyes.

"Where are we?"

"The transducer is implanted just beyond the tree line…We're going to go on foot. Here's your light. ", she said as she passed him a small flickering flashlight.

"Whatever you do, don't point it up."

KJ trailed away, running into the night. Trunks followed her into the darkness with a sigh. He followed her onto the city block passing by what remained of wooden bus benches. The cold rain was a constant reminder that he was a shadow of his old self, unable to even summon his ki to flush his skin to take the chill away. The growing pulsations pounded his core. He felt as if a knife had been drilled inside of his chest, with each tug, it was being pulled out painstakingly- a little at a time. Their strong legs made quick work of the distance. Trunks and KJ turned the final block.

"There it is…", she whispered.

Trunks strained his eyes at the giant crater that had been formed on the surface of the Earth. It was as if a giant cork had been shoved into the dirt, cracking the asphalt and concrete for as far as his eyes could see. They moved closer and closer to the silver glowing structure. Trunks became even more mindful of the pull against his chest towards the transducer.

"What do you think about that?", KJ asked as she watched his body heave back and forth.

"It's like having the world's worst hiccups…"

"You're right. I've never thought of it that way before", she snickered.

KJ shook her head as she moved even closer.

"We're going to try to pry it loose… we can use our energy a little bit because the rain disrupts the electromagnetic pulses allowing it to current through our bodies correctly for short bursts of time."

"Maybe we should get more people…"

"We tried, but they can't withstand the radiation…"

"What? Radiation?"

"Just go over there and help me pull this!"

"Fine…", Trunks said as he ran to the other side of the wide glowing metal object. He held his fist high into the air. 1-2-3 he motioned. They both strained with all their might, feeling the grounding waves with each throb. Trunks' bangs danced across his forehead as he tried to utilize his energy. A ghastly hue of blue erupted from the flat silver plate with each vibration. Trunks could barely see KJ's waving hand through the torrents of rain. Trunks returned to her side of the plate, careful not to trip over its edges.

"Damn… it's no good. It's hopeless…", she tried to mute herself, "It's still too strong to be pried from the ground, even with this rain!", she screamed in frustration.

Trunks stared at her, speechless at her outburst.

"Let's go, we still have to get supplies…", she tried to recover as she walked away, "The mall is just two blocks away from here."

Trunks soon found himself shivering under the stinging assault of the rain. The sound of quaking metal, bending under months of strain, met his ears. KJ continued to move forward in the hollow city street.

"This is it…", KJ uttered. Her breath became a foggy mist in the air as is escaped from the vents in her helmet.

Trunks gazed at the building that was nearly lying on its side, leaning on its neighbor covered in glass windows stained from the dust and polluted rain.

"Let's go…"

She grasped his hand loosely as she lead him to the gaping split in the side of the vine covered building.

"We have to be quiet…", she reminded him, "Gru can't help us…"

"With what?!"

Trunks was exasperated at this point.

"Just don't make a sound. We are _fucked_ if we get caught; we will surely die is _**he**_ catches us. Do you understand?", she said between panting breaths as they climbed onto what was the wall of the building.

"Yes…", he glared at her, "… you little potty mouth. I doubt much could hurt you. Your head is just like that hammer. I should know… I've punched it."

KJ clenched her fists by her sides and continued to walk.

"Be careful, don't fall in. You can't jump though… he'll hear you, she warned as they came to what was a glass door to a shop. She walked across the glass, without a single crack forming in the glass. Trunks stepped lightly onto the glass. He closed his eyes tight as he balanced his weight to step off to the other side-without a peep.

"Good…", KJ applauded him.

They passed over door after door in silence. Trunks couldn't help but feel a strange sense of familiarity as they traversed the leaning tower. Their black backpack soon became full of aluminum cans.

"We've got what we needed. Let's go…", she said with a skip in her step.

They turned around going back from which they came. KJ squeezed her eyes shut as her larger counterpart walked across the glass doors.

"What are you doing?", Trunks asked as she stopped in her tracks and stared at what was underneath, directly between her red boots.

"This was a pet store…", she said, re-piecing the faded logo back together in her mind.

"And…"

"Hold this."

KJ tossed the black backpack off of her shoulders. Trunks took the strap reluctantly. KJ pulled a single door back by its handle that hung lop-sided from the frame. KJ slipped her hammer from her shoulders. Trunks quirked his brows at her. She laid the hammer flat across the wall and the secondary door that paired with the side she opened, wedging the hilt of the hammer in the crack that ran underneath the door.

"Are you kidding me. You're not going in there alone…"

" I have to look after Penny."

"The cat? She'll eat anything that you give her…"

Trunks' words fell on deaf ears. She stuck her flashlight between her teeth and grabbed the shaft of her weapon with both hands, swooping into the shop below. She climbed down the sash that dangled from the pommel of the hammer. Trunks followed her carefully, until she could no longer be seen. He shifted his weight from side to side as he waited to hear the sound of her approaching below. His eyes wondered to the east, tempted to cast his light that way instead of waiting in the dark, unsure of what could be waiting for them just around the corner.

 _CRACK!_

A single line formed in the glass door, bearing the weight of her hammer. The sound echoed off of the surrounding walls. Trunks lifted the heavy weapon from the glass below as he studied what was around him.

"Take it! Take it and go hide!", KJ demanded from below.

"Get up here now!".

Trunks managed to keep his voice down to attempt to conceal their presence. He carefully laid the hammer back down on the glass.

TIP-TAP-TIP-TAP

" Toss me the bad and get out of here!", KJ yelled as she shut her flashlight off.

"I'm not leaving you here."

" Trust me.", she begged.

TIP-TAP-TIP-TAP

"Grab the damn tassel, so I can pull you up…", he said pointing to the sash.

"No. Go hide, before it's too late!"

TIP-TAP-TIP-TAP

Trunks could barely see it forming in the distance with his keen eyes. KJ looked above, into the glass window that was angled above their heads. She stared at the tiny collecting pellets of rain.

 _God if your there please don't let it stop,_ she thought.

A shrouded figure inched closer and closer. Trunks' pride wouldn't allow him to run, regardless of how hard he tried to pry his feet away from the floor, yet this fear was too great to swallow. For the first time since he was a child, he felt helpless. Now, they were only feet apart from one another. It seemed as if who-ever or what-ever was near may pass right by as if they didn't exist. Trunks remained still, although they were side by side. A stout musk of testosterone filled the teenager's nostrils. Electricity slinked across the surface of Trunks' skin when the tall figure turned its head. A pair of big glaring eyes appeared underneath the tattered shroud. They pierced the deepest recesses of Trunks' soul as if they belonged to Satan himself. The tall figure cocked its head over to one of its broad shoulders and leaned closer. Trunks could feel steaming breath pouring onto his face. He was faced with big eyes, darker than the shadow that the stranger brought with him. A golden, cracking halo flamed around the dark pupils that Trunks forced himself to stare at. They were a shade of yellow that he had yet to be seen in a human eye. This was a young man's face, Trunks came to determine, and not a wrinkle could be found lurking underneath the glow of those eyes.

" **Paint me red** …"

Trunks furrowed his eyes at the deep, even spiteful voice that he just heard. It sounded much more like the groaning of a beast rather than that of a man. Trunks could see the breadth of the stranger's spanning arm, underneath the electric glow. Trunks felt the undeniable touch of a hand on his cheek. Those eyes continued to inch even closer… A throaty growl crossed the air to Trunks' ears. A flash of teal irrupted in Trunks' irises as his ki struggled to rise. It was enough. The same hand that dared to touch his cheek wrapped its tight grip around his throat, stealing the air from his mouth. He was hoisted in the air in an instant. The young man snarled, flashing his teeth from beneath the tattered veil. He was no longer a mystery hidden in the dark. Stray freckles dappled the skin below his eyes. His prim eyes sat atop high, prominent cheek bones. He lit up as if he was struck by green lightening. Trunks gasped at what he thought he saw. Parallel glowing spheres appeared underneath the surface of the skin, from his neck down his chest, causing the stranger to glow from the inside out. His veins were painted a slimy green, tainted from within. The color flushed from Trunks' face.

 _He is a living circuit. His ki is off the chart…_ Trunks thought to himself as he recognized the sound of static electricity popping in the air.

Suddenly, Trunks flopped to the ground. He recognized the sound of the moving air. KJ had swung that mighty hammer, smashing the side of the stranger's skull. A menacing growl erupted from those thick lips as he realigned his neck from her blow. He kicked her, forcing her spine away from her gut, sending her through the air. Her helmet hit the drywall with such force that it flung from her head. The predator stalked to her limp body. He had nearly reached her with his grasp-

"Leave her alone! Fight like a man!",

A weak ki blast grazed his broad shoulder, burning his dark caramel skin underneath. His spine was engraved with thin wire on each side, glowing green with his energy. Metal spokes wrapped around his spine, like the spread legs of a scorpion. Just as the assailant turned his head towards Trunks, His bearded features met the hard plastic of KJ's helmet. Trunks dropped the helmet and shook her limp body. She quickly stood to her feet. Her hammer was the first thing on her mind. She grabbed the pommel and hurled it towards the glass above. Shattered slivers of glass rained down on them. A hissing charge filled the air as the rain met the peculiar guard's skin. KJ grabbed Trunks by the collar and used what little ki she would channel to leap onto the slippery glass above. They began their descent down the gradual slope of windows.

"Run!", she yelled as he re-emerged from the building high into the air behind them. Trunks turned his head, as his legs carried him as fast as he could. KJ kept up with his quick steps, until _he_ raised his hand against them. He walked in the air behind them on green static, as if he commanded the air itself. The glass below shattered behind Trunks and KJ panel by panel, falling below to the concrete. Their heels were barely off of last panel before it disappeared into nothing. Trunks pulled KJ onto his shoulders before she could fall behind. He dashed feet first off of the leaning tower. He dug into the dirt with all his strength to escape into the cover of the city. Trunks kept running until they were back at the old shaky pine, although he no longer saw the demon that pursued them. KJ slipped from his shoulders. Trunks rested his hands on his knees and attempted to catch his breath. KJ wasted no time. She uncovered their bike from the net she had fashioned months ago. She fired up the engine of the motorcycle and mounted their ride.

"Hurry, get on before he finds us…", she said in a quivering voice.

Trunks pulled himself onto the bike. The wheels spun as they made their final escape, before gripping the asphalt.

 _We were just there._

He couldn't mistake the glowing golden orbs that blinked at him from the tired pine. Hope fled from Trunks' heart as the menacing form leapt from the branches that they were just under.

"Go KJ! GO!", Trunks cautioned.

A single blast laid the bike over on its side, casting both riders into the dirt with the wheels still spinning, stuck in acceleration. KJ bounced on the ground before coming to lie in a puddle. The hooded man calmly approached. His glistening dark locks began to curl in the rain. The collecting pools of water reflected the dark, heavy shades of red in his coarse hair. He breathed KJ deep into his lungs before his hands approached once again, raking the bridge of his flared nose across her neck.

"Get away!",

Trunks' voice shook with rage. The blaring sound of the motorcycle above their heads caused both of their eyes to be cast to him. Trunks held the bike by its seat and handle bars; he forced his ki to finally make an appearance. He lowered the turning tire to the back of his enemy's head and laid the fuel to the throttle. The man wrenched away. A blood curdling scream of pain echoes through the pines as the rubber eroded away his skin, catching some of the metal spokes protruding from his spine. Trunks threw the bike on top of him and plucked KJ from the dirt, dashing away into the dense woods.

Gru's pacing was starting to wear a whole into the floor. It was nearly one in the afternoon when he heard KJ's fist beating on the garage door. He rolled the door away as fast as his strength would allow. He did not have to probe their minds to understand what had happened. It might as well have been painted on their faces in bold red letters.


	7. The gift of Favor

**Author's note: Thank you to those who have diligently read this story. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update this. As always I appreciate all who read this chapter. Please feel review and PM me. Please tell me what your thoughts are. I need feedback on this piece. Enjoy ^-^**

"May I move like a thief in the night, just this once.", Trunks prayed to himself as he remembered what happened just days before.

The end of the rusted flat-head driver slowly met the head of the tiny screw. Sweat collected on the brim of his lavender brow and the crease of his nose. His hands ached with anticipation as his clutch tightened on his piece of work, born in secret. His right hand cupped the screen of the small green disk resting in his left palm. The blue iridescence glowing arrow was undeniable.

"Yes!",

He struggled to soften his excitement as six red balls appeared on the radar he had re programmed; He slipped it into his breast pocket inside of his gi. Trunks eased from the bench he had kneeled on. His free hand fumbled underneath the steel seat.

 _Bang!_

He squeezed his eyes shut after the echo permeating his ears, possibly condemning him to some unknown fate. He withdrew his hand, as if the noise itself burned his reddened clumsy knuckles. Composure allowed him to finish the simple task at hand. Trunks eased onto his feet, leaving behind the neatly folded clothes that she had given him. He dared not to make another peep. He approached the plain chest, tucked underneath the shadow of the stairwell. The metal drawer scrubbed against the frame of the chest. His fingers jittered at the sound of the obnoxious screeching. His eyes peered over his shoulder still, although the sound of KJ's soft breath tickled his ears.

 _You I'm certain about_ , he thought as his pupils rested on her curled up form. _But you, not so much…_ , he questioned as he studied Gru's silent, motionless body lying just a few feet away.

He couldn't take his eyes off of the seemingly simple, even ornamental balls that everyone he has ever known had sought after. He was no stranger to them, yet he couldn't help but allow his mind to wonder. He cradled the four star ball in the palm of his hand.

… _Not very heavy,_ he pondered to himself, _are they even made of stone?_

The glassy, smooth ball rolled from his palm back to its surprisingly obscure hiding place with the flick of his wrist. Trunks' knees were locked. He turned around slowly, taking note of the eerie silence that had eloped among them.

"Phew…", he forced through his pursed lips after he heard it again.

The sound of soft snoring reached his ears again. Trunks was no longer faced with her closed eyes, but the cascades of hair sweeping off of her back. His eyes wondered to the bag he knew was stuffed underneath _her_ bunk. He refused to allow the dragon balls become an afterthought in his racing mind, but he couldn't help to ease closer to where she slumbered. He stood over her, counting her each passing breath. He knelt and carefully pulled her leather messenger bag out into the dim light. In silence he pulled the flap off of the bag and slipped the small book from it, the one he had gotten all too familiar with, finding the last page he allowed his eyes to skim over.

Dear Jax,

Gru and I tried to disable the transducer today, but we barely got away. I miss the days when I could open the window to my room and fly away from it all. Is this what's it's like to be normal? I hope to write you again soon, but I can't make promises. Pen is almost all used up… must find another.

 _Already read that…_

Dear Jax,

Gru says he can lead me to Estella. I'll let him stay…

 _And?_

Dear Jax,

I think I saw…

 _Nope. Next._

Dear Jax,

I am sorry. That's all. I can still feel you…

Trunks brushed his fingers across the dark ink that had been scribbled in haste as if he tried to feel the words on those aged pages. He brought himself to flip quickly toward the back, ignoring the many words.

Dear Jax,

I want to tell you that I'm…

 _Wait. No, this is not relevant to me… Stop being nosey, whether it is for her sake or my own. Skip…_

Dear Jax,

I dreamed about Estella last night, but that's not entirely unusual right? It was in an actual bed! You'll never guess where I've been, and who I got to see!...

 _Now we're getting somewhere…tell me who you are._

I got to see…

 _Fuck! It's wet._

Trunks' covered his eyes with his hand, pushing down the urge to throw the book to the ground. Nearly four pages of the hardy album were ruined with smeared ink, a faint letter here and there were decipherable. He brought himself to continue.

Dear Jax,

He accidently came back with me. It's been four days since then. I can't believe he's here. I just can't. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise because… because I was ready. Never mind… Now we can operate the ship to hopefully get Estella. With three we can take care of that transducer! We're leaving tomorrow! You never knew how right you were when you told me that hope was something that can be the throne of your soul, if you let it.

Trunks squeezed the book shut as its spine rested in his palm. He slid the book back into her leather satchel and pushed it back under the bench with his boot. He folded himself over her curled up form. He gently pulled the tattered sheet away from her cheek, draping it around her neck instead for reasons even he did not understand.

"We leave tomorrow…I did not listen once.", he whispered as he sat back down to the bench where he once laid. He slipped his boots off as quietly as he had put them on. His eyes wondered to the drawer that he left ajar, holding their treasure.

"Not so glamorous now…", he thought aloud as the golden hue reflected in his guilty eyes.

"I'm sorry, that it took me so long to come over, Bulma."

Gohan readjusted his position in the high back leather office chair. Bulma continued to mull over the numerous physics schematics that he brought from the university. Gohan twiddled his fingers over the tiny hole in his shirt pocket. Gohan stared into the eyes of the dear family friend he'd known since he was a small boy, yet he tried to cover the small hole with his knitted green vest. He couldn't forget that Bulma is the heir to the capsule corp. fortune, regardless of how he tried.

"I know that this was on short notice, but at least you're here now."

Bulma tried to smile at him through her uncharacteristically steep features. Gohan adjusted his heavy glasses, giving her the classic son grin while he drug his hand across the back of his head.

"You look just like your father…", Bulma said as if to remind him.

"Mom says that too…but you're right, Bulma. There is a riff in the electromagnetic stream, but it's not like the riff that Mirai Trunks passed through to reach us. We could pass through it with one of our time machines, but there is no guarantee that it will take us to where they are currently."

"Instead of a riff in the time stream it's as if they went through some king of portal…", she confirmed.

"Exactly."

"Is there anything else that I can help you with?"

"I can tell you what you can help her with…", his unmistakable voice rang from the doorway.

Bulma did not flinch at the coarse voice that scrubbed their ears. Gohan clenched his cup a little bit tighter although he had heard that tone many times over the years.

"Trunks has been missing for nearly two weeks, and Bra literally seeped through my fingers! Figure this shit out!", Vegeta snapped. Gohan's smile faded. Affinity took it' s place as Pan's happy voice echoed in his vivid imagination.

"Vegeta…". Bulma's seething whisper seemed to hang in the air, "Where are you going, now?"

Vegeta pulled out drawer after drawer in the workshop, but it still eluded him.

"Doing something useful… Going to find those damn balls."

"The radar should be on my desk.", she chided him. Bulma closed her eyes and drank from her cup, paying little mind to the swirling chaos of printed designs and grease that he was creating.

"… It's not."

Her eyes fluttered open.

"You've lost it woman…"

Bulma pushed past both men as she made her way to her cluttered desk. Even her desperate rummaging seemed well controlled.

"It was right here.", she assured herself, " The spare radar is in my workshop…"

Vegeta withdrew his gloved hand from his pocket, and the shimmering lure caught Gohan's quaint brown eyes as he walked out of the lab.

"Vegeta!", Gohan called, although Vegeta had continued down the hallway. Gohan leapt from the creaking office chair, catching up to the older man. Vegeta continued to stalk down the corridor as if Gohan wasn't even present.

"I must have dropped it…".

Vegeta's eyes narrowed under his grim brows. He turned on his heel to face Gohan. Vegeta rolled the devilish piece of jewelry between his fingers, eager to unleash his scorn on the mild mannered professor.

"Wha-"

Vegeta was silenced. His mouth hung wide open in the sight of what Gohan had recovered from his own pocket.

"-Fell from my pocket…", Gohan continued as if he was in a stupor, dumbfounded at the indigo duplicate that rested in his palm.

"Tell me… where did you get that?"

Vegeta's voice was slow. Gohan contemplated the malice he saw forming in Vegeta's eyes as he stared at the second purple stone.

"It was a gift from Mr. Piccolo when I was young…"

Both of Bulma's hands rested on her desk. She stared at the empty spot that once held her radar. She brushed her fingers across the dust free space.

"Trunks-kun…", she said with intrigue

His name stung her stained lips.

"Vegeta! Come back! Trunks might have the other radar!",

She dashed to the hallway, only to run into the wall that was Vegeta's chest. Vegeta scooped her into his arms. Gohan waited by the doorway.

"What are you doing?", she gasped with surprise.

"We are leaving to see the Namekian…Let's go woman."

"MY NAME IS BULMA. B-U-L-M-A. BULMA!"

Her cheeks grew red with frustration, but she draped her arms around his neck with care.

"Don't remind me…", he rolled his eyes.

"Vegeta… if you drop me…"

"Have I ever…?", he barked at her, interrupting her soft voice.

"No you haven't…"

A warm smile spread across her face, before she caressed his stubbly cheek with her soft lips.

"…damn you", he growled, " You're always catching me off guard…"

Gohan's dark eyes softened at the sight of a man who has slayed entire planets blush.

Gohan tiptoed onto the porcelain tiled surface of the lookout. Vegeta followed closely behind him, tapping down just seconds after. He pulled his arm from beneath the scientist's legs, allowing her to hop from his left forearm. Bulma put her hands on her hips and proceeded to follow Gohan across the tile, just as Vegeta was doing.

"They're probably sleeping…", Bulma concluded as she looked at the eerily empty tower.

"No, Mr. Piccolo is usually awake."

"Oh, he will be…", Vegeta sulked.

Bulma and Vegeta walked underneath the shadow of the dome, following in Gohan's footsteps. Gohan, rapped on the door with his knuckles. His hands found his pockets while they waited. The door creaked open.

"Gohan! I haven't seen you in a few days. How are you? I must tell Piccolo that you are here."

"Hello, Dende. It's nice to see you too.", Gohan responded.

Dende wedged the door open. His eyes were filled with fright as Vegeta's scowling face came into view.

"Piccolo is actually who we need to see…", Gohan continued.

Dende held the door open and they passed by him one by one. Gohan traversed the small domed building as if it was his own home. Vegeta walked behind him with crossed arms. Bulma's curiosity slowed her pace. She understood Vegeta's silent nod, his request for her to keep up.

Gohan led them to a rounded doorway carved out of the chalky wall. Piccolo sat meditating in the small, empty white room.

" Piccolo sensei…", Gohan said with a bow.

 _Come in_ , Piccolo waved with two of his long green fingers. Gohan crossed his legs and sat before his friend. Vegeta lingered in the door, for a moment, then followed suit. Bulma sat on her knees, next to Vegeta.

"What brings you at this time, Gohan?", Piccolo asked softly.

"Trunks is missing.", Gohan began before swallowing hard, "And bra has been taken away…"

"Yes, I know… Goku has made us aware- to look out for them."

"Bra has been sucked inside…", Vegeta interrupted as he pulled the purple gem from his pocket.

"How did you get this?", Piccolo hissed. His eyes edged to Gohan.

"Piccolo Sensei, I still have mine.", Gohan explained nervously as he removed it from his pocketed slacks.

Piccolo's face was painted with confusion.

"What the hell is this?", Vegeta demanded to know.

"This…", Piccolo began by snatching the gem between his long nails from Vegeta's palm, "is a Soarian key. On Namek, they are forged of trauma."

"Who made them?", Bulma asked calmly.

"They are not made. They are born of misfortune. They spawn from the dirt below on Namek. The stones in the dirt and the trees that hung above mourn when tears are shed. The planet itself captures the irritant and encapsulates it. Earth has gems formed in oysters… Each is a one of a kind, with different shapes and colors."

"Pearls?", she interjected.

"Yes… the pearls of Namek, so to speak."

"Gohan… when you sacrificed yourself to save him on Namek. He…"

"I cried. Yes.", Gohan readily admitted.

"They hold the sorrow within, "Piccolo continued, " They are good luck to anyone who holds one, but they are full of grave danger. For, if you hold great grief or even angst within and it is opened that person could be sucked into that world of grief, until the crime has been corrected. They should never be opened."

"So where is she?", Bulma said as she tried to hold back the tears that were brewing in her eyes.

"It depends", Piccolo began again, "Who opened it?"

"I did.", Vegeta Shut his eyes with scorn.

"She is in your grief whenever it was born… in your past. She for some reason, has found favor with the stone. It chose her to go in your place, Vegeta. Perhaps because it sees her future…"

Heavy tears erupted from Bulma's eyes. Dende peaked down the corridor, tempted to investigate her sobering cries. She doubled over as if she had been struck. Vegeta drew nothing but a blank stare as he imagined where in his life that she could be and what her life shall be like...

"In-in my past", Vegeta stuttered before barren silence took over the room.

Piccolo answered him with a solemn nod.

"Gohan has cared for this one for its entire life… yet he and I both hold it. How did Bra get this?", Piccolo broke the silence.

'She found it in the garden _…",_ He replied as the wheels turned in his head, " _that girl… that girl from the future…"_


	8. Castle of Glass

Gru was the last one to hop down the chute into the silver craft. KJ slammed the hatch tight behind him. Trunks strolled over to the glassy top console, cautious of where he placed his hands this time…

"Take seats", the wirey figure gestured to the two teenagers.

Trunks reluctantly eased down into the egg shaped seat in front of the console.

"Neat…", Trunks mumbled as his hand glided across the back of a floating chair, "I can't believe that I didn't notice them before."

KJ pushed herself up with her arms into her seat next to him. Her toes barely touched the floor. Trunks took note of her dangling legs. She swung them back and forth. The toes of her red boots skiffed the surface of the floor. Gru sat down next to KJ, climbing into the suspended chair. Gru shifted in his seat, his beady eyes burned into Trunks. KJ leaned over, peaking beyond the side of her white seat at the unsuspecting teenager.

"What?", Trunks responded to their glaring with obstinate eyes.

"These seats are _so_ uncomfortable…", KJ said with squinting eyes. Trunks leaned away, as if he was trying to escape her presence after the odd exchange.

Her attention finally shifted. She slowly looked up into the cabin ceiling.

"Ready craft for dimensional jump!", KJ commanded.

DIMENSIONAL PORT ACCESSED, PLEASE REMAIN SEATED. CHECK COORDINATES. PRINTS NEEDED TO CONFIRM LAUNCH.

The panel before them became a blazing blue. Gru made quick work of the boxes appearing before him. Trunks watched in curiosity as Gru plugged in the coordinates to _where ever_ or _who ever_ they were going to. The pale green creature gave a reassuring nod to KJ.

PRINTS NEEDED TO CONFIRM LAUNCH.

Trunks found himself again under their surveillance. With a deep cleansing breath his hand met the chilled surface of the console. It reminded him of when had jumped from bed that night and his bare foot struck the cold ground. He wished the shocks in life could all be that simple again. Now his shock was sheer centripetal force bearing down on him.

PRINTS ACCEPTED.

Their seats levitated higher into the air, suspended by audible waves of blue plasma. Four point straps jolted across their chests, securing them tightly against the back of the egg. Trunks thought he could feel the zing of space itself was they warped. He cast his eyes above his head and saw those elusive stars again. The breath was pushed from his lungs as they spun. As quickly as it began, it had stopped. The sound of the reactors began to die down to a purring hum. Their restraints vanished into thin air, slinking back into the confounds of their egg seats.

JUMP STATUS: COMPLETED

Trunks peeped from behind his perch. Gru and KJ appeared to be cemented to their seats in a trance.

"Are we where we are supposed to be?", he said calmly. He was more keen on their physical response rather than the words that would come out of their mouths.

"Jess", Gru managed as he shook his head, hoping that his ears would readjust to the pressure. KJ slid from her seat and meandered around the cabin as if she was stranded. She ran her fingers through her long violet locks, separating it into little slivers; she began to braid her hair. Two intricate French braids began to form along each side of the crown of her head. The two finished pieces were drapped across her back. Gru stretched and climbed from his seat. Trunks stood and watched them as they both headed for their supply room. Gru motioned for Trunks to follow him. Gru closed the door behind them, giving KJ the other room to herself. Gru pulled a green piece of fabric from the shelf.

"Dis on."

Trunks took if from his small cold hands and unfolded it infront of him. Trunks turned around to put on the loose sleeved shawl, it's hood scooped below the back of his neck. Trunks turned around seconds later to find Gru in a black vest fitted just for his size. A blue collared smock was the lining underneath it. His loose pants were replaced with crisp black pants. A silver cape fell over his shoulders, matching his shinny belt-buckle.

"How did you?"

"De hood…".

Gru's face was covered in a sharp grin, as sharp as the arch shaped pin on his breast. Trunks tossed the heavy hood over his head, obviously designed for someone quite larger than himself.

"Good… I get ju inside."

Trunks couldn't get his eyes off of the rippled scar covering the side of Gru's slate grey head. His wondering eyes seemed knowing in that moment. Gru politely stared back at him with his pebbly black eyes.

"Jess, they did…", he said as he brought his three fingered hand over the scar, "A friend say he will fix."

All Trunks could manage to do was stare. The crumpled tissue on Gru's head recalled _him_ to his mind, or rather a dream of the scorpion backed man that they barely escaped from just a few nights before.

"He will, word tis good- Maybe fix him too…"

Trunks studied the small person before him, feeling quite sure that that night had been minimally discussed.

" Dreams, dey are third eye of de mind.", he answered.

 _All Trunks could hear were her screams; they were deafening._

"Wait… you can."

 _He ran as quickly as he could to her in the forest, soaked to the roots with rain._

"Yes."

 _Suddenly the echoing sounds were snubbed from existence. Trunks found them in the clearing. Her limp lifeless body hung from his thick arm. All he could see were those eyes…_

" You know things… don't you…She wouldn't tell me. Can you please-", He said after he knelt on one knee, perhaps to approach Gru at eye level.

Their conversation was interrupted by KJ wrapping on the door. With the push of a button the foggy door disappeared into nothing before their eyes. Her red stole was added to her attire.

"Trunks", KJ began with a gulp, " Are you ready to get her? This is it…"

"Yes… what is the plan".

Trunks looked at them both apprehensively.

"Gru will get you in… follow his lead. Then, just bring her back here to this craft. I will be waiting outside to get you three out of here."

"So you're not coming in?", Trunks questioned morbidly.

"No, not safe fer her, you see when we there…"

Gru lead them out of the ship. Trunks followed closely behind him, climbing out of the chute.

"Who am I even looking for? What does this girl even-"

Trunks was cut off speechless at the expanse layed before his eyes. He was surrounded by shifting sand dunes, the color of amethyst stone. Rosey pink moons hung high above their heads, waxing and waning according to their cycles. He imagined that if he just reached out his arm, he could feel their soft buttery textures on his fingers; they were that close. Strange songs echoed above them in the dreamy expanse. Trunks placed his arms across his chest as he stepped away from the hole. KJ climbed out behind him, staring off into the world they stepped into. In a great swoop of air, a whale of a creature parted the atmosphere above their heads. Trunks braced KJ with his arm as its forked tale flapped above. It soared in the air with its four flipper like legs, nearly like the alternating wings of a dragon fly. It's body was flat and the color of pale sage, decorated with ornate black strips running along its flat wings. It's reptilian head was adorned with curling horns that appeared to have been carved from the finest onyx stones of Earth.

"Whoa! Am I normal again here?!", Trunks cried

His voice rattled.

"What is this place?", he added

" Dis is de place between places. Capt'n Halo brought Estella.- Yes you are normal, do you want to fly with dat?- will make a scene.", Gru answered with a point over the hills. A compound appeared across the dunes of sand. It was the shadow of a glorious castle that had been, remade in glass instead of stone.

"Estella, she will come to you, jus keep dat hood ov'r your face…", Gru answered before he climbed from the side of the craft.

They embarked on their journey across the strange landscape.

KJ scanned the bottoms of her boots.

"It's not too hot for a desert", Trunks remarked.

"This sand is sticking to my boots."

"Not sand KJ, Tis like sugar on E-arth", Gru offered.

"That was a long-ass walk.", Trunks mumbled as they made the final approach.

"Only a Kilo'meter or so, Trunks. Now KJ stay outside, wait der jus outside dose windows."

Gru pointed to the windows on the eastern portion of the glass castle. KJ stayed behind in silent agreement. Her hand was poised on her jacket pocket under her red cape and the red capsule case that protruded, she dashed away out of sight in the belly of the purple dunes. Gru lead trunks through the ornate stone gate. They entered into a massive courtyard made of six smaller black stone squares. They travelled up two sets of narrow steps to enter the mouth of the facility. A row of masked guards stood between them and their destination. They stood at attention as Gru approached, barely coming to some of their hips in stature. Trunks stepped closely behind him, keeping his head down. Gru waved them out of the way speaking in some strange language utilizing the clicks of the tongue.

" _Part, get out of the way. Treat my guest as you would I."_

They stepped to the side, allowing them both to filter in. Gru navigated the long hallways with ease. Trunks had to pry his eyes away from the creatures of great and small stature- all different shapes and sizes that they passed along the way. Each bowed to the small humanoid creature. Gru finally led them to a lonesome door way with a single guard. He placed his four fists on his long waist. His fists returned to his sides as the small ashy man appeared. Yet, another language crossed his gummy mouth.

" _I have brought a special person, Halo's treasured guest. I know only one may go in at a time. Bring him the finest from the milkyway galax- system six. Only the best dancers will do",_ He paused as he polished his pin with his thumb, " _Bring only the unseeded…"_

The heavy door opened for Trunks and the four armed being stepped away. Gru ushered for Trunks to come closer.

"Be sure to go to da back room. You will like da view.", he encouraged.

His right eye closed and opened again slowly. Trunks thought of a frog remoistening its eyes with its thin membranes. Gru pushed trunks foreward with the breadth of his elbow.

 _Wait… was that a wink?_

Trunks walked through the door into the softly lit- blue chamber. The door slammed shut behind him; dust was kicked up from its edges.

"Hello?", he called.

A large cloth covered piece of furniture spanned the length of the room. The sound of primal drumming filled the room. He eased onto the couch, becoming comfortable in the soft round pillows. His eyes remained glued ahead, at the velvet curtain. Soft feminine laughter echoed from behind the curtain. It started with a single pale hand, pulling it back. Then they trickled out one by one, clinging to one another giggling at him. The room was quickly filled with, no doubt, some of the most luscious women that Trunks has ever cared to lay eyes on. Some were definitely human, others were humanoid in form. Trunks batted his eyes, trying to clear this obscene dream from his head. They gathered around him and began trailing every inch of him with their fingers.

"Welcome to Halo's Harem…", A sultry voice nipped at his ear, "Your pleasure is our earnest desire…"

Trunks turned his attention to the source of that voice. A woman with long black curls caught his eyes. Her skin was the color of fresh olive oil. Her eyes were chocolate almonds set above her ruby-red lips. She swung her leg over his hips and pushed his chest down with her hand. Her long black nails scratched the surface of his chest. He did not resist her.

"What muscles…", she teased, "and you're still developing…"

She brushed her other hand across the back of his cheek. Another hand groped his bicep underneath his long black sleeves. Another was at his thigh, and yet another was teasing his erection through his trousers. He layed his head back and did not resist. He could feel his heart racing with arousal.

"Oh, Girls… we're in trouble… he could go all night long.

 _Girls…_

The smell of their sweet perfumes was better than the finest of Earth's spices. His blue eyes popped open at the thought, coming to the forefront above his temptation. Bra's innocent voice rang through his mind. KJ's snarky laugh tickled his ears. Girls…

 _Woe to any man who touchs or event thinks about my sister… My father would kill someone for less than this over her. They're someone's daughters too. Estella, where are you?_

He scanned the room briefly, looking for anything odd.

 _Gru specifically asked for dancers..._

Trunks gently brushed away the woman that was on top of him. Two women danced together near the front of the room. Two of them were spinning on thick wooden pillars. Trunks approached the shortest one first, evaluating her for the way she reacted to him. She wrapped her leg around the pole and looped herself around. She ran her fingers through her honey blond hair. Mischief played in her soft brown eyes. She offered him a devilish wave. He brushed his hand across her back to avoid looking unusual as he walked to the other end of the room. He studied the next young girl. She bit her thin lips and grinded herself against her decorated pole. A lusty gaze, yes, but not a hint of recognition. He turned his attention back to the crowd, then it occurred to him. What about the girls in the ribbons- the ornaments? He looked up at their nearly nude forms, twirling in the grey ribbons above his head. She shorter arched her neck backwards to get a good look at him. She unrolled herself from her post, gently placing her bare feet on the ground. Trunks understood the predatory walk of the brown headed beauty, but he couldn't take his eye off of her third breast as he walked to him completely nude. The other followed closely behind her.

"Need a little something extra…", she asked as she readjusted her additional equipment.

 _How eerie_ , Trunks thought as he studied her pink eyes.

"I can give you good company, if that is what you're looking for…", she spoke with years beyond her age.

Her voice was like rich silk. Trunks turned his attention to the other dancer. She had flanked him on his left side. Her large Pembroke green eyes were flattered by her flaming locks of auburn hair. Her breasts were covered by the same soft grey ribbon that she twirled in. Another piece was knotted around her waist. The rest swooped across the floor in a train of kashmir. Trunks studied her tall frame. Her dark skin appeared to be , smooth, flawless, without seams or scars of any sort. She reached toward Trunks with her long fingers, grasping his heavy green wrap. She dared to move the hood away from his face. Her eyes glimmered with something faint. Her smile was like the spice of autumn air as it dimpled under her high cheeks.

 _It's you isn't it…_

"Let's get to know each other…", Trunks said as smoothly as he could. He offered her his hand.

"Of course."

She squeezed his hand tightly. Her emerald eyes rested on him intently. They walked through the crowd of chattering women to a small room in the back, behind the curtain. The smell of sex, old sex that is, floated in the air. Trunks found the smell quite repulsive. The exotic beauty closed the door behind them. Before Trunks could open his mouth to speak, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He could feel her trickling tears through the chest of his long sleeved shirt. He reacted the only way he could. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

" I thought you were dead!", she sobbed through her muffled airway. Trunks allowed her to try for a few more minutes in the hope that she would regain her sassy composure that she had displayed just minutes before.

"Is your name Estella?", Trunks finally asked after he pulled her away from him. His hands rested on her tone biceps. He was mindful of his tone.

"Yeah…", she said as if it was a trick question.

"Are there alarms on these windows?"

"No…"

"Cover your eyes.", he suggested softly, "They're waiting for us outside…"

Trunks busted the small window with his elbow. Estella was dumbfounded.

"Come on… we have to go", he reminded her as he stepped out of the long window.

Trunks ushered her out of the window, helping her onto the roof. He scooped her up in a bridal carry. She did not resist him, but looked at him as is he was the strangest thing that she had ever seen. He glided down from the air, delivering her to the sugary landscape below. Night had falled since he had ventured inside with Gru. Trying to climb off of the structure would have certainly lead to noise. KJ and Gru emerged from a nearby dune at their presence.

"Stella!", KJ cried. She dashed across the barren landscape. The sugar crunched underneath her quick boots.

"KJ!"

Trunks turned her loose from his grip. She leapt away and did not look back. Stella made quick work of the dunes with her long legs. Trunks heard the impact of their skin as they embraced one another- a loud thud. It was too dark for him to verify it with his eyes, but he could hear their anguished sobs in the dark air, releasing a burden of grief that had been held for entirely too long. Their tears eventually stopped, and were replaced by silence. Trunks found a smile trying to creep onto his chapped lips.

"Tis okay to smile at someting like dis…", Gru added in the chill of the night.

 _I will never get use to that,_ Trunks thought.

* * *

 **Thank you to all who have read. Please review. let me know if you are enjoying this story. What do you like or disike? Who do you want to see more or less of? I hope you have enjoyed this.**


	9. Worm Hole

**Author's note: Thank you all for reading. I hope that each and every one of you are enjoying this story. Forgive me if it has been a while since my last update. I'm dying to know what your thoughts are! Please review! Feel free to PM me if you wish. What do you like/dislike?**

* * *

 _One more ball left…_

"Hey Vegeta!", Goku yelled, "Wait up! Try and take it easy."

Goku and Goten popped up from a passing white, wispy cloud. With a small burst of ki, they both hovered next to Vegeta in the thin air.

" Damn Kakarrot!, why does everyone think it's fine to sneak up on me?"

A particularly heavy scowl formed on Vegeta's lips. He could feel their cheerful eyes studying him.

"But Vegeta, we've been here the whole time!"

"Oh, I know… don't remind me."

"We should be getting close to the last dragon ball!", Goku briskly changed the subject

"Yes, you're right… for once.", Vegeta agreed as he referred to the dragon radar in his palm. The small green dot flashed on the screen of the red radar.

"Vegeta…"

"What?"

"It's going to be alright…",Goku tried.

They dipped out of the stratosphere, now underneath the blanket of clouds. Their eyes scanned the lush, heavily forested hills below.

" Probably underneath this brush somewhere.", Goten added.

Vegeta eased to the ground, underneath the canopy. Goku and Goten followed closely behind him.

"Dad, what is this place?", Goten said as he shuddered away from a beefy red centipede that crawled on a tight vine above their heads.

"It's a rainforest son, full of all kinds of living things."

"Don't touch anything if you want to keep your fingers, Brat", Vegeta hissed as he saw the crawling creature. Goten turned to his father with unyielding eyes.

"Vegeta doesn't like creepy crawlies…", Goku responded to his unblinking gaze.

"Creepy crawlies.", Vegeta scoffed, "Let's get this over with."

Vegeta motioned for them to come forward as he looked down at the radar once again, looking for its guidance. They stepped through the thickets of jungle loud with the howling of monkeys and chattering of colorful birds in the air. They stopped at the mouth of a deep cave, formed in a limestone cliff.

"It should be inside…", Vegeta thought aloud to himself as he looked up from the radar.

They entered the cave just moments after they found the entrance. Goten glanced back at the light of day, not quite ready to step into the darkness. The walls of the cave were weeping with condensation, as if they could sense the sadness that just walked in. They moved deeper into the bowels of the cavern. They had been swallowed whole into darkness. Goten simply hoped that it would be kind enough to spit them back out. Vegeta chased away the darkness with his ki, when what little light from the entrance was completely vanquished. Goku and Goten followed suit creating controlled balls of ki in the palms of their hands.

"Damn!"

Vegeta halted.

"What's the matter?", Goku wondered.

"The radar lost signal, probably because we're underground."

The flat metallic radar glided against the fabric of Vegeta's pocket as it was tossed in. His arms became bound across his chest again as he stared down the endless stone void that faced them.

"It can't be too far ahead, right?",

 _Right- right- right- right- right_

Goten was greeted with the echo of his own voice as the only reply to his question. Vegeta was the first to walk off into the void without a word. Goku's amber eyes roamed over his youngest son as the sound of his voice faded away.

 _What would I ever do if….?_

"Don't get too far away from me, okay.", Goku's soft voice was accented by a quick wink.

"Eww dad, you sound just like mom! Are you getting sick?", Goten said, running his hands through hair before mischievously feeling Goku's forehead with the back of his hand.

"Let's go, before Vegeta leaves us too far behind."

The dust in the air became easier to taste as they traveled farther back into the expansive cave system. The air around them became heavier, collecting in torrents of fog around their feet. The musk of stagnant water filled their nostrils.

"We've got to be getting close…"

Goku heard Vegeta's lips part before the words had even left his lips. Vegeta clutched the radar in his palm. He pushed the center of the screen with his gloved thumb. A hush had fallen over Goku and Goten. They were waiting, hoping even, as they faced the fork in the cavern. A light reflected on the wall from the left fork. The right remained as dark as the air before them. A rustling echo reached their ears. The tapping legs of centipedes filled Vegeta's mind. The shaking tail of a giant rattle snake appeared in Goten's mind. Goku thought of the tapping claws of one of the many dinosaurs that chased him as a child, perhaps it was having a bad dream for making its nest in such a place.

BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

Frowns washed over their features as the small flashing red letters filled the whites of their eyes.

NO SIGNAL.

"Well, I guess we'll split up?", Goku shrugged his shoulders."Goten should go to the left, and you or I could go right. If we don't meet again in here, we could just meet outside at the entrance. Besides, we should be able to still feel each other's energy. I think we should rock, paper, scissors it, winner goes left…"

"You're on Kakarott!"

"Really?", Goten laughed awkwardly as he watched them get into position.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Go!"

Goku had squeezed his eyes shut as he threw his flattened hand into the air. He pried his right eye open to see Vegeta's fist tightly balled up.

"You should have picked scissors Vegeta!", Goku said cheerfully as he covered Vegeta's fist with his hand.

"Paper beats rock!"

"Sheer luck, Kakarrott."

"See you on the other side, Vegeta"

Goku waved as he walked down the thin corridor. Goten followed just a few paces behind him. Goten turned his neck and looked back at the saiyan prince who refused to even lift his fingers for even a short good bye. Vegeta remained at the mouth of the fork, for just a few moments more. Goten and Goku turned the corner. The warm smile faded off of Goku's lips. They were not greeted by the golden light of day, but golden lights dappled across the ceiling of the cave's stalactites. They slowly walked beneath the display. Goten's eyes shimmered with intrigue. They rose in the air with slow unison, like columns of steam rising from a boiling pot.

"Woa dad…What are those?"

"Ya know, I'm not sure…"

They crept a little closer in the murky air. Goku held his hand shoulder high, to allow his ki to illuminate the world around them.

"Dad?", Goten asked as their vision in the dust became clear.

"They're… those are"

"Those are…", Goten stammered again.

Goku and Goten glided away, back to the ground. Their subjects of interest clamored on the ceiling and walls in silence, racing to meet their new guests.

"Scorpions…They were the light", Goku gulped as thousands of gold endowed bioluminescent scorpions closed in on them. Goku and Goten stared at the majestic bilateral glowing stripes that stretched from head to coiled tail across their black bodies. Their bodies were glittered with the thick dew of the cave.

 _CRISSSSSSSSSSSS_

The three foot long scorpion flashed its impressive pincers, and a searing hiss caught Goku's ears. The light bounced off of its needle like stinger on the end of its poised tail. Goten slowly stepped away with his teeth grinding together behind his sealed lips. Goku's eyes grew wild and crazed.

"Dad…"

"Needles! No! Not needles!", Goku screeched from the deepest bellows of his lungs.

"Dad!"

Goku yanked his lanky teenaged son into the air as he blasted out of the infested scorpion den. Goten's cocoa brown eyes widened in astonishment. His chocolate locks of hair were ruffled in the whirlwind created in Goku's wake. His light washed denim jeans and purple tee shirt were stained tan from the stirred up dirt, even filthier than his navy boots. The mighty sickles of stone began to crumble from the ceiling. Goten retracted his arm to keep from being pierced. He stood on the other side of the den; Goku still remained inside. They were separated by a pile of rubble. Vegeta appeared from the shadow casually walking , next to Goten's frantic form

"What the hell is going on?", Vegeta demanded to know.

"Dad!"

Goten blasted the spiked gate, hoping to reach his father.

Then suddenly Goku's muffled voice was just beyond the rubble.

"Goten, Stop! If you can hear me stop! It will just cause the cave to well… cave."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go with Vegeta. I'll meet up with you guys later."

"Let's go brat…", Vegeta said as he walked away, leaving Goten to study the rubble "You best keep up with me…"

Goten followed his elder's request. They tracked their way back out to the beginning of the fork. They eloped again into a dark cavern carved out of stone, this time turning into the direction of the menacing sound they heard before. Goten was not looking forward to meeting his rattlesnake.

"Calm yourself. I can practically hear your heart beating."

"I'm sorry, sir".

Ever since Goten had known the stocky man he was always Mr. Vegeta or sir. Mr. Vegeta, sir was a special combination for when he and Trunks had ran amuck.

 _Trunks…_

The cavern appeared to be empty. The source of the sound was just out of their reach. They turned a sharp corner and literally stepped from darkness into light. The frightening sound turned out to be the quaint sound of rustling leaves in the wind.

"This is a surprise."

Goten and Vegeta found themselves in a bowl carved into the grey stone. The high walls curved around them. Goten brushed his fingertips along the rough stone wall. Supple green grass sprung up from the ground around them. The evening sun glimmered on the wall warming their backs. A shadow was cast upon the roots threading through the ground, reaching all the way to Vegeta's boots. Orange fruit rolled on the ground, with dimpled soft flesh from bouncing from the limbs of the tree.

"Dead end", Vegeta uttered as he scanned the bowl and lifted a piece of fruit in his palm.

Vegeta ripped the radar from his pocket. The wind rustled the leaves in the stoic few branches that were jutting beyond the top of the bowl.

"Vegeta…hey"

"Not now-"

"Uh, Vegeta…"

"Just a second, Bra-"

"You may want to turn around!"

The blinking red dot finally appeared on the radar once again.

"We're finally right on top of it!"

"Vegeta!"

"What?!", Vegeta bellowed as he finally heeded Goten and turned around. Vegeta could no longer keep his mouth drawn in a straight line. A hateful scow tugged at the corners of his mouth. His upper lip wriggled, struggling to call back into shape.

" They're really kinda cute…"

"Cute…my ass. They're disgusting!"

Three little grubs were wobbling behind him. Soft, fluffy white fur covered their dark leathery skin. They ambled forward on their tiny nub legs- six in all for each. The tiny tips of their wiggly tails shook behind their wide, round heads, like puppies that were happy to greet their mother.

"I think these are caterwoolies. Gohan talked about them in class one day…"

Vegeta's ears grew deaf in that moment as he realized that fifty of them looked down on him from the branches with their glossy green eyes. Vegeta's skin was flushed with a pale shade of ill green, much lighter than that of their grassy eyes as the chubby caterpillar like creature scuttled its front two limbs up Vegeta's calf. Goten thought that Vegeta may gag, from the look of his puffed out cheeks.

"Prrrreeeeeeewwwwww, prrrreeeeeeewwwwww", they hummed softly as their little bodied jiggled with the vibration of their whimpering voices.

The caterwooly began to kneed its squishy stub legs against Vegeta's calf. The fierce saiyan flinched at the movement of the small creature.

"Vegeta… they like you. You must smell sweet to them or something", Goten's voice was accented by nervous laughter.

"Away with you!", Vegeta hissed as he kicked the plump grub away with a flick of his ankle.

"Shweeee!", it cried as it flailed in the air. Vegeta gasped as its eyes curled into swirls of disorientation. The other two continued to bounce towards him without hesitation still humming. Goten scooped the frazzled creature from the ground.

"Goten, put that thing down!"

"Awe… I think it's purring. Mr. Vegeta didn't mean to hurt you. He just thinks your gross", His smile unraveled piece by piece and grew blank as he continued, " You scare him a little, ya freaky wittle worm-thing…", he shrugged his shoulders, "and he just doesn't like you…", he finished, remembering that it was indeed Vegeta he was talking about.

"I, THE PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS AM NOT AFRAID OF THESE PUTRID BEASTS!"

Goten thought he would be blown over from Vegeta's wind.

"Greeeaaat, now he is scratching its greasy abdomen…", Vegeta complained under his breath as he moved away from the horde of approaching woolies.

"Brat, put that thing down!"

"Vegeta!", he yelled as if he was in pain from the idea that just blew up his thoughts, "They probably want the fruit!"

Vegeta examined the fruit in his clenched hand

 _Fruit, oh shit! One of them ate the dragon ball!,_ he thought.

Vegeta dropped the fruit to the ground. He wildly scanned the other portly morsels clamoring around him.

"Do any of them look especially strange to you Goten?", he asked with haste.

"Well sure…"

"No. No. no one of them has eaten the dragon ball…"

"This one has a lump in its belly…", Goten said as he looked down at the content, blinky wooly that he had coddled, "How do we make it-?", he began to ask.

Vegeta merely cocked his brow at the thirteen-year-old

"Oh…"

"We don't. Give me the fur creature."

The radar dinged loudly in Vegeta's palm as he held the excited worm at arm's length.

"You're not gonna hurt it, are you Mr. Vegeta?", Goten asked.

Vegeta frowned at the tones of Goku in Goten's voice, but his tongue slipped through his clenched teeth. His stony eyes softened, a sensibility pricked his ears, an intelligent, fully-developed sadness that he had never heard from the boy's father.

"No, we will take it to the woman. Bulma will know what to do – now give me the fur creature."

Goten handed over the humming little wooly wearily. Vegeta grimaced as he held it flush against his chest with his free forearm. Goten grinned politely at his elder.

"Now to find your-", Vegeta continued, but he clung to his words a little longer after he realized that an immense shadow had fallen on them. The garbled song of the little grubs faded away. Even the one resting against Vegeta's arm stopped clamoring. Brilliant Crimson feathers shaded them from the sun. The king of this jungle was perched on the edge of the cave wall; a tangle of black feathers served as his crown. Its sharp talons tapped on the wall as it adjusted to prune the gold stripes in its wings. He angled his long serrated beak down, to get a better view of the options for dinner. How ironic for a creature of the sweltering jungle to have arctic blue eyes, yet it made him no less menacing.

"Is that… a skull on its head?", Goten whispered, "Or just the color of its feathers, Ve-GEE-ATA!"

The last few syllables escaped in a squall as the fearsome predator's talons wrapped around Goten's torso. The other clutched Vegeta in its grip. They soared out of the canyon underneath the beast's wings in seconds. Vegeta and Goten busted from the beast's grip. The grub writhed in the air after it popped from the tight corners of the bird's clutched talons. A ki blast scorched the feathers of its wing. Vegeta's free fist remained on is hip as the pterosaur fled into the evening sky. Vegeta and Goten watched the little worm fall for a few passing moments before realizing what they have done.

"SHWWWWEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Oh.", Goten said as they hovered in the air. Vegeta dragged his palm across his face as if to wipe away is disdain. Vegeta blasted off, plummeting himself toward the cry of the worm.

"Kakarrott!?"

"I caught him…", he returned between pants, " I saw you guys with…"

"Bw-BWAHAHAHAHAH. That's what you get for mocking me Kakarrott!"

Goten dashed away at the sound of his father's voice. He wasn't prepared for the sight that awaited him. Goku was covered from his chest down in soupy green mucous. The disappointment that clouded Goku's features evaporated as he studied the six star ball resting in his hand.

"It looks like we won't be taking the fur creature to the woman, Brat.", he announced proudly as snatched the ball from Goku, "That fall really scared the shit out of him!".

Vegeta was the first to blast away, back into the thin air.

"Hey wait up!", Goten yelled.

Goku and Goten flew just meters behind in the air.

A determined smirk formed on Vegeta's wind burned lips.

"The namekian and Gohan have most likely found the other balls already!", he replied.

 _My son…my daughter… they will be called back, on this day._

* * *

 **Please don't leave me in the dark! (No pun intented ^-^). R &R**


	10. Your Wish has Been Granted

"Vegeta…", she gasped. All she saw was his shadow passing by. It was as if she had seen a ghost, only a hint that there was another soul nearby. The old shop stool creaked as she leaned forward to see if there was a trace of him in the hallway. No. Nothing. Her body turned through impulse to face her workspace. Her eyes lingered behind, still studying the doorway. Her heart still leaned onto that arch of wood.

"It's four in the morning...why would he need to train now?", she spat, "Unless he is just pacing again…"

"I'm such a hypocrite" she whined as she glared at the blinking blue letters on the clock and the modest glass of wine.

 _The dragon erupted from the seven meager balls, boiling forth in rolling columns of charged air. No one dared to utter a word as the mighty beast of old filled the sky. The earth mourned the dragon's arrival. The clouds became full and heavy, lightning cracked high above their heads, streaking away from the endless body of the serpent._

" _Who has summoned the eternal dragon?"_

She had heard those words many times in her life. The hair always stood on the back of her neck; not many things managed to do that to the heiress. Bulma shuddered at the sound of his voice, even the memory of it.

" _We have summoned you…Shenron",_ Gohan answered.

 _Pan peaked at the dragon from behind the back of Gohan's leg. She bawled her tiny hands in the fabric of his trousers. Goten pulled her into his lap, as he watched from the concrete patio._

" _What is your first wish?"_

 _Bulma rested her fingers underneath her chin as she stared into the red eyes of the dragon. For a moment she glanced behind her, staring at Goten and Pan sitting on the ground. Bulma tore her attention away from them as if they were an afterthought at the sound of Vegeta's voice._

" _Bring them back here -Trunks and Bra, from where ever they are!", Vegeta commanded of the dragon._

" _From the dead?"_

 _Bulma dug her nails into Vegeta's arm as she clutched his bicep from underneath the bend of his elbow. Chi Chi's hand trembled to Goku's forearm. Lines of worry formed at the corner of her eyes._

" _No. They can't be…", Gohan whispered._

" _I think not…", Piccolo reassured him encased in the shadow of the capsule corps awning._

" _They are not among the living or the dead… of this realm."_

Bulma dropped the radar into her lap. Her vision became a watery haze.

 _Of this ream. Of this realm. Of this ream._ Regardless of how hard the words shook her, the echo would not go away.

"Damn it!"

Red wine, ran from her desk, spilling onto her white lab coat in drizzling streams. A few fuming puffs of air crossed her reddened cheeks before she collected the radar from the floor. She collected the tiny pieces of glass in her gloved hands with crimpling lips, scooping it into the trash can.

" _This cannot be granted… it is beyond my power. Now, what is your wish?"_

" _What? What do you mean?!", Bulma screamed at the hovering dragon._

" _I am unable to bring them back because they are not dead… they do not exist within my reach. There are many realms of the living. Only executive permission permits such a wish as this…Be swift your time is running out."_

" _Executive Permission?!"_

 _Chi Chi shivered at Vegeta's sharp tongue. Her trembling hand grasped Goku's steady forearm. The eyes of the crowd on the lawn widened at the echoing indigent words._

" _Yes... that of a God… traveling between the realms is a grave sin.", the dragon answered, "Now, What is your wish?"_

" _Tell us then… where are they?", Vegeta asked. He raised his steadfast eyes to the dragon. His arms remained sealed across his heart._

 _Bulma's eyes closed, hiding her weary eyes. She exhaled and waited. Her anticipation was never relieved. The moment had passed and became an entire endeavor. Her eyes opened. The dragon's body continued to distort the sky, pouring from the small balls. The silence was frost bite to her heart, and rot in her bones._

" _Grant this wish, Shenron! Return to the dragon balls!"_

" _Your wish has been granted."  
_

" _Vegeta! What have you done?!", Bulma chided him._

 _The sky filled with flecks of orange as the sun peaked through once again. The dragon disappeared into thin air. Goten rose from the patio. He swept his sneaker across the scorched ring of grass surrounding the dragon balls as he approached Bulma and Vegeta._

" _Is he gone, uncle Goten?", Pan asked from her perch on his arm_

" _Yes Pan-Chan…", he answered her, " Oh, they didn't turn to stone?"_

 _An answer did not fall on his ears. All he saw was Vegeta's back as he made his way across the lawn._

" _There is still one more wish… to be used after a visit with Beerus-Sama"._

 _Vegeta's lackluster words rolled off of his tongue as he shoved the sliding glass door shut behind him._

"Dragon Balls?", she thought aloud with her hands on her hips.

Bulma retrieved the small tool that she had thrown on the table. She plopped back down on her stool with the radar in hand. Her fingernails scratched the back of the casing as she removed it, exposing all of the wire in the radar. Tiny plumes of smoke rose from the back of the device as she connected wire to wire and knitted together its tiny pieces. She smacked the casing back on with the palm of her hand. With haste, she flipped the device over and activated it with a single finger. She lowered her head in intent concentration, like her son when he played with his handheld video games. Bulma jerked away in surprise as snowy radio waves echoed in her lab.

"Trunks! Trunks, honey can you hear me?!"

* * *

 **Thank You for reading! Please Review. I appreciate your thoughts. ^-^**


	11. A Visit with Beerus

"Vegeta-san…"

His voice stood out from the roar of the wind, although just a whisper over the blowing rain. Vegeta did not turn from the swirling torrent that he faced.

"I shouldn't have expected anything less than to find you training in such a place. It is your nature after all."

Vegeta remained still in the eye of the storm, surrounded by stinging pieces of hail.

"Solace is often found amongst the grip of such chaos."

Whis remained steadfast, as if the thicket of the hurricane was not passing over them. His swipe of white curls did not even waver in the wake of the gusting winds.

"Oh, this just won't do…", he sighed as he wielded his staff in his right hand from behind his back. The orb on the end of his staff fell into his left hand. The blue halo surrounding it glowed brightly against the background of black clouds.

"Away with you…"

The wind disbursed in a quake around them, as if to flee Whis' very presence. It had been hours since Vegeta's opaque black eyes saw the fleeting beams of light from the sun.

" Vegeta-san, you called for me?", Whis inquired with a flat smile. His brows remained straight, unaffected. His pale eyes rested not on the man before him, but looked inside.

" Take me to Beerus-Sama. I will make it well worth the while."

"I see…", he offered as he brought his feet neatly together, "No need for that… your wife already has…".

Whis' echoing words quickly gained the prince's attention. His eyes fiercely narrowed upon the God's attendant. A pit formed in his stomach.

"Oh, did she?", he inquired slowly as he turned to face Whis."

"That she did…", he answered with a telling melancholy smile as he polished his dark nails against the seam of his tunic.

"All is well Vegeta-san…", Whis assured him as his hand came to rest on Vegeta's heavy shoulder.

In the blink of an eye, a dash of a second, Vegeta and whis stood at the end of Beerus's table. Vegeta found himself staring into the yellow eyes of the God of destruction.

"Whis, You know I don't like surprises!"

"Beerus-sama, Vegeta-san would like to speak to you….", He said in a hooting laugh. He covered his lips quaintly with his hand, "Bulma-san convinced me to bring him..."

"You disturb my meal for what?"

"A gift from Bulma san…", whis began as he pulled a crystal bottle from underneath his cloak, "It is called Sake, and it is to be enjoyed with dinner, how fitting…"

Whis placed the ornate container on the table temptingly in front of the God of destruction.

"You have my attention…", Beerus began as he leaned back onto his seat and brought his arms behind his head, "But only for a few minutes."

"My son and daughter have both been taken away. They've been gone for weeks. We've taken into account every possibility. Trunks left with a stranger, and we haven't seen him since. Bra was sucked into this…", Vegeta explained.

Vegeta pulled the indigo marble from his pocket.

"We called upon Earth's dragon to wish them back, but he told us that it was not in his power. They are in other realms-"

" I am well aware of their absence", he interrupted as he put his spoon back on his napkin, "You need my permission to have them travel through the realms."

"Yes Beerus-sama", Vegeta admitted with his eyes closed. He unconsciously bowed.

"Mortals", Beerus scoffed, " Always meddling where you don't belong. When will you learn it is a grave sin to transverse time, let alone the other realms…No."

"Yes… But please… just this once-", Vegeta began as he stared down the God across from him.

"Dare you question an appointed God!? My verdict is final. They may not cross over. No."

Beads of sweat clung to Vegeta's hair line. Both of his hands rested on the God's table. His teeth clenched together in an attempt to hold back his words.

"I admire you Vegeta. I can reduce you to less than the dust on my table, yet your resolve brings you before me-"

"Dust on your table…", Vegeta growled as he struggled to restrain himself.

"Yes… Super saiyan God or not… dust".

Vegeta took a breath, finally realizing that he had ascended in his frustration.

"However, it may be possible for **you** to travel across the realms…"

"I am no fool. What is your agenda…"

"I never suggested you were, Vegeta. You may go, and I will have Whis send you, but you may only go to one of them…"

"Only one may return?", Vegeta's words quivered.

"Do not worry about your daughter …", Whis interjected.

"Do you really expect-", Vegeta began.

" _ **Mind me, Vegeta-san!",**_ Whis ordered sharply with a stern frown, acutely raising his voice catching the attention of both Vegeta and Beerus.

"You may go to the boy, but you may not bring him back with you. You mortals will pay for your sins…."

"I don't understand…", Vegeta strained.

" Oh, you do.", Whis confirmed.

"He must be in a realm that can be accessed, if he is to return home. Do you understand?", Beerus said as he rose from his table with his hands behind clenched behind his back. He worked his neck back and forth before it cracked under pressure.

'This shall not leave your lips for anyone else's ears to hear; Do not tell your wife. By your hand it must be done…"

* * *

"Wha tis in da pocket!", Gru attempted to whisper over the wind.

Trunks dug in his pockets, as if the hissing sound itself could hurt him. The attention commanding hiss of radio waves broke the embrace of the two girls. The hollow sound was carried far away in the night air, reflecting off of the dunes around them.

"My radar… something's wrong!", Trunks explained as he ripped the device from his pocket.

"Turn dat off! Off now!", Gru begged as he tried it away with his three fingers.

" _Trunks, Trunks honey can you hear me?"_

"Mom, Mom! I can hear you!"

" _Hello? Anyone there… at All?"_

"Mom! Can't you hear me? Please mom!"

Trunks stared at the static filled radar in his sweating hands. Her voice… his mother fell silent.

"Gru, what are you talking about?", KJ pleaded to know.

Stella peered east to west, surveying their shifting surroundings. She ripped the silver train free from her waist that drug on the crust of the planet behind her, only to tie it around herself once again. She tore a small strip of the soft fabric , top to bottom. She wadded her heavy curls up high on her head and tightened the silver strip around her auburn locks.

"Will be found! SHHH!", Gru managed.

"What is that?", Stella asked.

Trunks and Gru turned their heads. They stopped their tug of war with the green radar. Their right hands remained wrapped around it. Rosey pink irises lowered from the horizon of the dune at their backs. The glorious expanse above disappeared under a black velvet curtain. A gust of wind cut through the channel of dunes. KJ crossed her arms only to feel the air route around her, wicking the heat from her skin.

Gru's marble eyes read trunks' face.

"dose are da wings…", he answered, staring as the heavenly bodies continued to disappear.

"KJ, take Stella and Gru, go to the ship…", Trunks said slowly.

"No…"

The sharply angled eyes continued to loom closer to them. A low hum reached their ears.

"Go now… don't argue with me!"

Trunks balled his fists in wait for the lurking beast, ready for anything. As if it was as easy as flicking a switch, he released his power. His hair danced high on his head, standing in stiff golden streaks. His eyes streaked teal.

"Finally, at last…", he whispered.

Trunks felt as if he had finally stepped back into his own skin, but he was hopeful that they would be nothing more than a spectacle of interest for its curious gaze.

"Relax… sheesh Trunks, we can take him.", Estella remarked calmly. The tall girl brushed by Trunks as she picked at the nails on her right hand.

A snarl formed as the beast peeled away its scaled lips. A blast of it's hot breath illuminated the space around them. The dunes, even the air itself was tinted pink. Glowing Molten pink plasma dripped from its nostrils. Trunks took to the air, dragging Gru along with him by his arm. KJ and Estella hovered next to them in the air. Gru pulled away from Trunk's grasp and folded his legs underneath himself. He levitated up and down in patterned waves. A pulsating black dot appeared in the center of his head as he focused.

 _I didn't even see them take off._

The sandy path where they once stood became baked, carried off in glistening sugary dust in the wind, only visible in the glowing plasma. It's curling Onyx horns shook in the air as the distinct sound echoed around them.

"Plasma Dragon haz cold _."_

"Gru, did it just sneeze?", KJ answered him.

The corner of Trunks' lip twitched as the girls laughed at the snorting echo of their possible demise.

" Just get back to the ship, please!", Trunks interjected.

The dragon turned it's head to Trunks' glow. He charged at the beast with a smirk printed on his lips. He witnessed it leap into the air from it's blade like limbs. He watched it's long twisting neck lunge in their direction. He was ready, eager to step in, but he didn't. This itch would not be satisfied

 _How could this be?_

He was beaten to the punch. With her right foot, Estella held its head. The beast groaned and the muscles of its neck trembled. It's poisoning pink eyes were squeezed shut, all under the stopping power… of her foot. She was planted between it's horns, each spanning as high as she is tall. She plunged it's head below into the shifting dunes with a flick of her ankle. She folded her arms quietly behind her back.

"Gosh I've missed you Stell…", KJ reflected as she stared at silhouette of the fainted dragon in the sand.

"I wonder why…", Estella teased with a wink.

Trunks had not brought himself to move yet. He stared blank and plale at the displaced dunes below. He released his breath, also releasing his energy. His bangs tickled his forehead as the stray pieces came to rest flat against his head again. Three sets of eyes studied him diligently.

"Back to de ship…", Gru said in his trance like state.

KJ grasped Estella by her forearm and lifted farther away into the air with her. Trunks lingered behind, watching them drift away into the distance. Gru followed his own directions and floated into the south sky.

 _How would I feel if I just saw a monster?_

Trunks pulled the collar of the tunic he was wearing away from his neck. He slipped it from his back before holding it in front of him by its heavy hood.

 _Whose shoulders did you sit on?_

He was certain that the dragon would be the last thing on their minds at the moment. He had just lit up the night sky. He brought himself to coast back to the ship, confident that they could deal with any attention they would attract.

How did you know my name?", Trunks asked alone in the dark while shaking his head.

Trunks' heart raced, and his breath became heavy.

* * *

 **As always, Thank you for reading! I hope this has been enjoyable so far. I am looking for some feed back. Do tell, are you enjoying the original characters or no? What do you like/dislike about them. Do you find the plot interesting. What can be done to make this piece better?**


	12. Dark Spot

**Thank you all for advance for reading. Please review this story. I am open to your thoughts and eager to know your opinions. Is it good, bad, or maybe even a little ugly? What do you want to see more or less of? ^-^**

* * *

To Vegeta, it was as if the sun had not risen in the sky that morning. He found himself in internal darkness. Setting a boot on the door step was haunting, reminiscent of all those years before when he was a stranger invited to stay by the scientist's narcissistic daughter. Whis's staff was poised, hidden behind his back.

"Remember, not a word more than necessary Vegeta. Bring me something that he is connected to, like we talked about."

Whis cautioned him with a single finger. His glossy lilac eyes hardened under the soft rays of the sun. His lips became speechless; a graceful smile returned to his dark lips. Vegeta managed a stiff nod before he passed through the thresh hold of the door.

"Something that speaks of his spirit…", Vegeta grumbled under his breath for he knew where he would have to go.

 _What else could be hidden behind your back?_ , Vegeta thought.

His dark irises ventured away from the corners of his pensive eyes. The handle of the door left his fingertips in silence. He was certain that she would hear him. He absently stared at the venting column in the center of the spiral staircase.

 _What a useless design…_

He stepped through the wall of the door less pneumo tube trying to remember the last time anyone had used the metallic steps. The column of gel reminded him of silk spun spider webs, leaving a residue on the skin.

 _Spiders are gross daddy._

"Third floor", he murmured in the tube. A column of air pushed the plate underneath his feet. The stair case was no longer empty in his mind.

" _Wait for me!_ ", she demanded. He watched her blue shadow bob along the rim of the steps as she climbed down. He always waited for her with his arms crossed; ready to remind her that there would be absolutely no flying indoors when she grew bored of the tedious descent.

Vegeta stalked off of the pneumo tube. His shoulders slumped as he thought of where she could be in the east end of the third floor of the complex. She would be preoccupied with one of her latest inventions of fancy, if she managed to get out of bed at this time of the morning. Vegeta turned his head away, almost out of routine as he counted his paces, knowing that the path would take him right by _his_ bedroom. The odor of his skin always filled his nostrils. Nothing had been moved or touched, not even the pile of dirty clothes.

"You're just like your mother!", he scoffed, unable to keep his head turned any longer.

His eyes drifted into that dark room. The shades had been pulled since that day. The comforter was pulled back, tangled on the end of his bed. Vegeta pushed the door open with his closed fist. The door knob thumped into the sheet rock wall. His arm remained firm on the panels of the open door. Tiny wrinkles were spread across the dark blue bed sheet, leading to a rounded indention on the edge of the bed. The last place that his son may have ever sat….

He hoped to be able to spare himself from his torture. Not wanting to waste a minute he plucked something small off of Trunks' wooden desk.

"Vegeta! There you are!."

Her soft voice tickled the lobes of his ears. He turned on his heels and slammed the door behind him. The tips of his dark lashed tickled his cheeks when he closed them. Droplets of sweat formed on his unruly brows. His startled nerves nearly crushed it.

"I've been looking for you woman. I'm leaving, but I will return."

"Wait, What? Not Now! I think we can use the dragon radar to talk to trunks. I retro-programed it to work kind of like a radio."

Vegeta gently pulled the radar from her small hands without making eye contact.

"I'm leaving with Whis."

"You're training at a time like this!"

"Do not block my exit. I am leaving."

His words were forceful and sharp; Bulma swore that he could bite with his tongue. Her attention drifted beyond him, like he was standing afar.

"Bulma", he looked up at her from the radar. Those five little letters grabbed her attention. They were so rare, nearly like humility in his coarse voice.

"Do not meddle, just trust me woman.", he finished.

Her ears burned and scarlet settled on her cheeks. Her balled hands trembled on her hips, but she slowly let go unclenching her fists. She would have to let him go…

She froze when the edge of his nose brushed her cheek. He pressed his lips against hers. It would appear to be an awkward attempt at a kiss to the untrained eye. Bulma understood the pressure of his lips. Her heart fluttered at the very gesture, the thought of it alone was enough to make her melt away. She left a print of her red lipstick on his high cheek bone as he pulled away from her.

Vegeta knew better than to keep Whis waiting. He was quick to meet him outside.

"This may be useful to you. Bulma thought she had used it to communicate with the boy."

Vegeta offered the radar to whis carefully.

"This may make is easier to pinpoint where he was last, but I still need a marker for him."

Vegeta carefully unfolded his hand. It was a tiny bird, born from the recesses of his intelligent son's colorful yet somnolent and often dark imagination. An origami owl rested in the palm of his hand, made of aged black paper. He was careful not to snag its dainty wings between his fingers. A wicked smirk emerged on Whis's face as he examined its red eyes.

"Proof that all races of people are capable of making such lovely things. Saiyans are so volatile; it is instilled in you from birth. It is evident, even in a hybrid like your son. Even the most meticulous works of the hands of your people are fierce. However, you are not a race of savages. This will do nicely. I can locate the dark spot in his energy."

The paper owl flaked away, sucked into the glass ball on the end of the yellow staff.

Whis stood like a relic at the garden gate, still and untouched by time itself, at least in Goku's mind anyway. Goku only saw Whis's back as he approached the massive building ahead. His presence at the Brief's residence could only mean one thing. He was going to miss an opportunity for training if he did not move quickly. Whis withdrew his staff from behind his back. A wave formed in the dry grass as the ground pulsated below it. Goku ran as fast as his legs could carry him; his feet were barely making contact with the ground.

"Wait! Wait for me!", he yelled.

Vegeta wrapped his gloved hand around the glowing staff. Goku was just a breath away from them. He reached for Whis's back with the palm of his hand. Whis brought his sharp chin to his shoulder. His Wisdom left him in that moment. His eyes bulged becoming pale saucers as Goku collided with them.

"Goku-san!", Whis yelled.

"Kakarrot No!"

Only the echo of Vegeta's voice remained. The wind carried what remained of their energy. Blue glimmering sparks of their presence floated in the sun drenched air. A spiral of scorched grass was the only evidence that they were even there.


	13. Whis: A Hidden Agenda?

**Reviews please! As always thank you all for reading. What are your thoughts?**

* * *

There were nearly no ears to hear the time cutting wave radiating from Whis's staff. Goku and Vegeta appeared in the air like heated pop corn kernels. Head first Goku tumbled down the steep temple of crunching sand. Vegeta rolled after him, before digging his heels into the baked landscape below. Whis's coat remained free from wrinkles; the collar remained crisp and flush around his neck. He was undisturbed except his smile, still floating in the air with his staff in hand.

Goku Lifted his head, and his dark eyes remained fixed ahead. He crawled from his belly to cross his legs underneath him. Vegeta lifted his heavy gaze and moved no more. He propped himself up on his forearms. Goku leaned closer, lured in by curiosity.

"Goku-san!"

Goku did not flinch at the sound of Whis's voice. He winced as a puff of humid air from the dragon's nostrils dried his eyes.

"Is it sick?"

Goku backed away as the dragon lifted its head from the sand below, tucking its jaw underneath its neck. Its shook like a dog wicking the rain from its coat. Molten plasma was slung from its oozing nostrils sprayed the surrounding sand.

"Perhaps… He definitely has a headache with a knot like that on his head. Why must you harass the wild life?", Whis replied as he lowered the orb of his staff, "Cover your eyes."

Vegeta hid behind his own forearm while he laid on the ground. Goku cupped his hand over his eyes. The dragon squalled at the blinding blue blast erupting from the staff, lifting itself into the air with its heavy wings. Goku followed the beast with his neck as it flew away into the shallow air.

"What was that grouchy thing?", Goku asked.

"Forget about that Kakarrot! You have no business-"

Whis interrupted him. Vegeta's face grew red as he held his breath that he had stored for his rage.

"Plasma dragons are especially endangered, unable to migrate across this worm hole. They only live here in Voltaire. They have a symbiotic relationship…"

Whis's eyes narrowed on the two saiyans that stood amongst the dunes.

"With the ground that is. They're impressively aggressive. This is not sand; it's as sweet as bakers sugar. Their plasma heats the sugar surrounding you creating steppes and hotter their temper the more impressive the hue of rose the sugar becomes. Our friend must be especially assertive. The work of their aggitation creates the dwellings of all sorts of living things."

"Well, something knocked him for a loop…", Goku added.

"Yes, something or someone did…", Whis said matter of factly as he relented his gaze to the sulking prince.

Goku dusted the sandy particles from the wrinkles of his gi, and he stood to his feet. The wind howled as it cut through the stale air, teasing the ends of his dark hair. Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes drilled into Goku from afar. Goku sealed his lips, swallowing his cheerful demeanor. Whis made no sound as he sank to the shifting sands below behind Vegeta. A strange sensation gathered in Goku's chest, like something he had not felt in many years. There were twinges of it when he helped Piccolo blow his own brother away and when a heart virus stole his last breath.

"You didn't come here to train. Did you…."

Goku's voice rattled with guilt. He had answered the question himself before the words even escaped his mouth. A rumbling growl crossed the gap between them. Vegeta scoffed and turned away. Whis dipped his hand beneath his tunic. Goku and Vegeta watched him flip the top off of the round blue object with his thumb nail.

"No, we didn't come to train", he said not removing his eyes from the palm of his hand.

"Still yet, you shall be useful. This shall be a good exercise for you, Goku-san."

A weak smile formed on Whis's pale lips.

"The oracle fish must recalibrate this moon dial. For this certainly cannot be the tenth hour on Kaldia.", he continued.

"Kaldia?", Vegeta asked harshly. He was just an octive away from yelling.

Goku folded his arms behind his neck. He scratched the back of his head as if he could scrape away the unfolding tension that was gnawing at his skull.

 _It's like he just woke up from a nightmare,_ Goku thought as he studied Vegeta's stocky form.

"Yes, Kaldia.", Whis continued as he cocked his head over his shoulder.

Vegeta rolled his thumb over the plumb colored marble in his pocket.

"Kaldia… where the Acrosians rein…", Whis reiterated as if there was something else to be understood.

"I know !"

Vegeta turned his back to the celestial being after his outburst.

 _Sorry buddy. This is real._ Goku thought as he watched Vegeta recess into himself like he had done all those years ago when he was Frieza's rogue right hand.


	14. Daddy Issues

**Please Review! I am eager to hear your thoughts. What do you like/dislike? Thank you all for reading.**

* * *

Gru waded waist deep in the cool water. Trunks swept the water closely behind Gru, hoping that the dragon ball would be somewhere under foot. He clenched the radar rightly in his sweating hands.

"According to this, we should be right on top of it."

He turned to look for the two girls in the distance, reluctant to allow them out of his sight although they were each just a little older than him. He saw their silhouettes against the blue water on the horizon.

"Thank you for getting me in at the compound"

"Welcome.", Gru muttered, " You ready to go home huh?"

"You could say that.", Trunks managed distractedly. His eyes were peeled, looking after the two girls in the distance without a second thought until…

His father's voice was ever present in his mind. _You better look after your sister._ Trunks had heard that phrase more than he could fathom or guess since her birth. Even before she had made her appearance in the Brief household, Trunks was to look after his mother in his father's absence.

 _Bra bounced to the front door. The key chains on her green back pack echoed through the kitchen. Trunks followed behind her with a sleepy yawn. He stuffed his hands in his pockets after he threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder. Vegeta savored his morning cup of plain black coffee in silence._

" _I wish I was half as excited about school as you are.", Trunks slurred._

" _I have a gymnastics meeting after school today!", Bra answered as she jumped up and down._

 _Trunks scooped her up in his arms and opened the front door, ready to blast off into the sky._

" _Oh wait!"_

 _Bra squirmed out of her brother's grip. She ran to her father at the kitchen table. Vegeta had cast his cup to the side as if he was waiting for her to return. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek._

" _Bye daddy, I love you."_

" _Bye-bye princess."_

 _Bra trotted back to her brother's arms. Trunks waited for a few words to part Vegeta's lips. He knew that they would never come; this hope was renewed and crushed every day. Sour bile collected on his tongue._

" _Look after your sister boy."_

' _Is that all I am? Just the boy', he thought._

 _He was certain that he was nothing but weak, a disappointment in his father's eyes. He was always told by his father that he lacked self-control. He couldn't help but smile at the kindergartener wrapped in his arms, but resentment still held the throne of his heart… He told himself anyway_

"So who is this Halo that you worked for?", Trunks sighed as he loathed his ingrained watchful eyes.

" Rhuebo's sociate."

"What did you do for him, Gru?"

"Telligence for the galactic counsel for years till I became experiment myself…"

"You were a spy…", Trunks concluded aloud with excitement. He was not stricken with disbelief. The fact that appearances can be deceiving was enchanting to Trunks but Gru's beady black eyes welcomed anything but trust.

"So you and Gru gathered almost all the dragon balls by yourself…", she said skeptically.

"Stell, you have no idea. We were always on the verge of getting caught. Thank you by the way for being understanding about keeping our little secret. I feel so bad about it though. It was just a freak accident. Boom he was there!", KJ remarked as they waded through the shallow water. She followed Trunks with her eyes.

"It's so weird seeing him like that…One day he's gone then the next he's back.", Estella remarked, shaking her head.

"Do you remember when your mom used to bring us here to the reefs all the time?", KJ said with a smile trying to change the subject. She wondered how far sound carried over these open waters.

"Yes", she giggled, "Do you remember when I got stung by a jelly fish."

"Your dad was so pissed at us for wondering off!"

KJ wished that she could take those words back, even if that meant painfully reabsorbing them somehow. Estella's expression fell, like the lapping waves of the coral reef. She wrapped the green cloak tightly around her waist, but was careful not to dip its edges in the water. The bottom of its short sleeves hung loose, well onto her ribs, exposing her white tank top below. Goose bumps raised on her thighs just below the cut of her denim shorts. A few small fish passed through her shadow in the shallow water. She buried her nose into the shoulder of the cloak that matched her eyes and breathed it in.

"I'm so sorry Estella.", KJ said as they froze in the teal water.

"It's all right…"

"I want you to know that I wouldn't blame you if you were angry at me."

"For what?"

Her voice was still.

"He would still be here if you know- he hadn't of tried to help me… I wasn't fast enough to get away."

"I don't blame you. I know it's not your fault. Besides, there wouldn't have been another girl in the house if we hadn't of had to come live with you!", she teased with a wink trying to lighten the mood.

KJ feigned a smile, hoping to return to the task at hand. She prayed that the dragon ball would stand out in the blue water, but the vividly colorful reef proved to be good camouflage. Tears pooled on the brims of her dark blue eyes. She forbade them from spilling over. Her will power was strong, but she could only keep them at bay for so long. Her eyes traced the outline of Estella's long shadow in the water.

 _KJ studied the shadows underneath her tired green eyes. Estella looked out the window their entire journey. They both hopped out of the hover craft without making a sound. The thirty minute flight passed without a word being spoken between the four passengers._

" _You girls will have to share a room for a while", the pilot said, "Just think of it like a long sleep over."_

 _His eyes darted away from the mirror over head, looking over his shoulder at the third passenger sitting in the back._

" _You'll just have to share a bed with me for a while…",he added with a sigh, "I think I may have some clothes that will fit you. Maybe…"_

" _Thankyou"_

 _It was the only reply that he received, a gracious yet solemn groan of burden._

 _The ship entered the craft bay, bobbing along in the streaming air. The doors lifted open and they trickled out one by one. Estella held KJ's arm, attached at her shoulder. The oldest traveler opened the door leading them out of the concrete room. The last passenger lumbered off of the craft with a backpack and two other bags in tow._

" _Welcome. This is your home now.", he said holding the door open with his keys in hand._

" _Please don't be shy; I bet you're starving. Please help yourself to anything in our kitchen. I'm aware that a lot has changed for you both in a few weeks. Make yourselves comfortable.", he finished as he slipped his brown leather gloves off._

" _Thank You, uncle.", a coarse voice called in the dark._

KJ broke from her trance when an orange fish fluttered between her legs in the calve high water.

"Estella… I'm sorry. I just have to ask.", she said shaking her head.

"Yes?", Estella drew out her question with a quirked brow.

"What was it all like, after they took you that is?"

KJ paused and looked at the tall girl with her shimmering blue eyes.

"What exactly happened to you on that ship? Did any of them… you know?"

Her voice cracked with anxiety and she picked at her nails. Stella wasn't sure if KJ's grim expression spoke of disgust or resentment. She felt a strange rise in her spirit at the unusual nervous ticks of the usually confident sixteen year old.

"Are you asking what I think you're eluding to?", Estella wanted to know.

"Yeah…"

"No. That didn't happen thank God. All the way anyway…"

Estella delved into her mind. She sighed because she didn't have to go too deep to remember.

" _It's been far too long since you've danced for me?", Captain Halo asked as he adjusted his breast plate._

" _Oh, tsk tsk. That's too bad…", she relayed as she wrapped the grey sash around his neck and crawled onto his lap._

" _It is", he lulled. She held her breath to avoid the repulsive smell of his iron masked face._

" _So, tell me about Earth…", she replied as casually as possible as she continued to dance._

" _You know I keep my secrets. I'm paying enough for you! Nearly 15 Alari, double what a normal 'entertainer' would cost! When the debt is complete I will take you there with me when I go back."_

Stella's face contorted at the thought that emerged in her mind. She just had to ask.

"KJ, what happened to you two on that ship? I heard rumors that-"

"You heard what?",

KJ's voice was stern and bitter. Estella stopped in her tracks, examining the odd behavior.

"I know this is weird. I get that. You can tell me. I won't think any differently of you."

KJ's frown only deepened, and she dropped her hands to her sides.

"Kira… I love you like my sister. I just want to know if it's true."

"I wasn't willing"

KJ hung her head as if she tried to hide the obvious. Her nose betrayed her, suspiciously turning red, and her pain spilled from her eyes. She trudged away , wading out in the deeper water. She did not look back at Estella. For a few moments all that could be heard, was the sound of water rushing around their legs.

"Kira!"

"I got it! I got it!", KJ hollered as she chased the flash of orange in the teal wave.

"Kira!"

"I heard you the first time!", she yelled as she scrambled in the water

"Look up you dummy!", Estella clenched her trembling fists by her sides.

KJ slowly raised her head from the shimmering treasure that evaded her in the deep. She did not have to see the face underneath the red cloak to see who hovered over her. Her fingers trembled as she began to back away. Estella's feet sunk into the sand, like a heavy stone. She was immovable, stuck as she saw the centurion's face.

"You never come this far outside of the city…", KJ whispered as she marveled at the perplexity high above their heads.

His glow was other worldly. His dark skin was as translucent as paper. Static did not bound around his body like that night in the crumbled tower. He strutted in the air to and fro as if the sky itself belonged to him. They were in his dominion, not the other way around. Two halos of gold peered down at her from beneath the hood. Dusky fingerprints smeared the dragon ball as he rolled it in his large hand. KJ cringed at the thought of his filthy fingernails scrubbing the surface of the ball. To her it was as repulsive as nails on a chalk board. The glimmering light off of the ball nearly blinded her, but she was longer fooled by its reflection in the water.

"Run! Run Estella!", KJ yelled as she dashed through the water, lifting her knees as high as she could.

"I can't", Estella whimpered as stray tears rolled down her cheek.

The tall figure slowly crossed his arms across his lean back. He sloped toward the ground, poising one leg to touch down in the water. KJ's feverish pace was nothing but a leisurely glide to him. He dipped into the water and waded behind KJ. Sand flew from her heels as her feet left the water's edge. She ran on the white sand as fast as her thin legs could carry her. She tried to take off into the air, but her ki failed her, gliding no higher than her knees. His calloused hand wrapped around her wrist. KJ relinquished her weight against her arm, trying to pry his grip away with her other hand. Even a stiff kick to the chest was not enough to earn her release.

"Leave her alone!", Estella growled as she elbowed the stranger's collar bone.

His dark eyes narrowed as he shoved Estella to the ground with a push of his fingertips. He turned his attention again to KJ, then he whipped his head around to the girl sitting on the ground as if he had forgotten something. He allowed KJ to slip from his burning clutch, turning his back to her. He bent over Estella's fallen form. His right hand fell from his waist as he looked her over from head to toe. She remained still in the sand, paralyzed from his piercing gaze. His hand was mere inches from her face.

" **DAD!"**

KJ cried out instinctively, unable to restrain herself any further when she saw Trunks charging toward them through the sand. It was like a memory playing itself over and over again in her head, in stop motion frame. This scene was all too familiar to her. He rammed his shoulder into the taller man's gut, tackling him into the ocean. He paused when he saw the dragon ball fly through the air just at the sand's edge. He thought about releasing his grip from his struggling enemy. The thought of KJ gasping in the sand cause him to dig his fingers deeper into the stranger's burning hot flesh. His knuckles ached as they hit the hard skull of the person underneath him. The stranger simply straightened his neck and stared after each blow. A whirring charge crossed his confused ears. He paused, looking at the grimacing face beneath the salt water. Bubbles expanded on the surface of the water; Trunks could have sworn that he heard him scream from below. Trunks felt weak as if the life was being sucked from his bones. Trunks was drawn into the hollow empty eyes that were in shifting water below. Did those eyes belong to the stranger, or were they a reflection of his own blue eyes in the water? An explosion of energy blasted him off of his opponent and through the air. His body flopped onto the powdery sand. KJ and Estella ran to his lifeless form while keeping one eye focused on the crashing waves. Gru ran across the shoreline, wasting no time to meet them. He tugged Trunks along in the sand by the shoulders of his black shirt.

"Wat are you doing? Move him out of da way!", he ordered the shocked girls as he struggled to pull the teenager's form through the sand.


	15. 9949 JX

**Hi everyone!Thank you for reading! Please review. Does anyone have any recommendations for joining communities?**

* * *

"I never thought we were going to find-"

The rain was salty and bitter, full of the chemicals of the foggy air. Bragg swiped his tongue across his thin lips, lapping up the carbon dioxide. No smile or frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. His square chin dimpled under his coarse beard. Patchy grey hair littered his rounded cheeks.

"Just roll him over, spur."

Bragg was not one to waste time, but his voice was soft, patient even. Years of experience glazed over his ashy sunken eyes.

"The trick is to avoid riling him up. Some of them can still hear you; punch in the access code quickly or even a spry one like yourself can get hurt."

Spur thought his knee cap would cut through his thin skin into their subject's chest. The soft dirt lofted to the musky air around them as he shifted on the ground. The body hung limp over his knee. Spur struggled to manage the body's heavy weight on his thin leg as it wobbled back and forth. Both arms hung limply by his thighs, dragging the centurion's hands in the mud. A long spine covered spur's lap. A stray droplet of water escaped the tip of his crooked pinky finger, falling onto silver titanium brackets digging into mottled flesh. A green hue immersed the nape of the neck then zipped down the back ending at the waist in rhythmic bursts. Spur's soft brown eyes followed that enchanting beat of light. The mossy glow was the only thing separating them from the hungry darkness, nothing in that city was to bitter for its jaws. Spur's blond brows settled low on the thick ridge of bone covering his eyes.

9949…

9949…

Spur poised his boney fingers over the stranger's bowed beck.

"His Zuri code is malfunctioning.", Spur sighed.

"Ah, you youngsters are as tender as sprouting greens, scoot over…"

Bragg eased onto the ground. The rain collected on their black suede uniforms. Chilled tiny droplets trickled down curve of their backs.

"Come on fella", Bragg struggled as they flipped the motionless dead weight body over. The only sounds reaching their ears were the thuds of heavy limbs flopping onto the dirt.

"So you're the rogue...", Spur mused. At first glance, he would have written _this_ body off as a common corpse, not a suppressed remotely controlled killing machine.

"In the flesh, aren't ya old exile?" Bragg said as his finger glided to and fro the illuminated spots on his chest. He connected the dots with ease, like a puzzle he had solved over and over again. Spur quivered as the thick brows on the stranger's face squeezed the tissue between his eyes. Spur grinded his teeth as he finally got to see _his_ face. His mouth hung agape as he watched those drooping eye lids slowly move.

"Yer always giving me a hard time", he fussed as he patted the limp leg with the palm of his hand.

Spur had seen this expression many times, an attempt to be angry because he or she knows that is it the right thing to do. Yet, for some reason, deep within, that anger doesn't come. Resentment is missing although it is all too appropriate. Spur understood that reminiscent grin; he was the mask that his instructor was wearing, trying to cover the fondness for that noxious celebrity- the beast.

"Spur, back in my day, the eyes were the windows of the soul. You didn't have this automation- your heart, it belonged to yourself."

Bragg looked to the expanse above their heads. His vision was nothing of his youth. He often wondered if his old eyes were beginning to fail, or if blue and greed had disappeared from the once lush earth and was no more.

"When I was a boy spur, there were more stars than I could count. When I became a man, the city lights were visible from outer space! Now there is nothing…nothing but this damn smoke."

"Do you really think he wondered all the way to the eastern shore?", Spur interrupted him, " His scope is only set for five square miles. I bet his chip malfunctioned-"

"Speculation is for God himself. Just reboot him. His history will upload to Halo's log. Legend says if you lick Halo's boots and the stars align _and_ the wind is blowing the right way he might let you see old exile here's course history", Bragg returned.

Spur forced himself to hush. An amused smile spread onto his face as he watched Bragg hobble to his feet, leaning away from his heavy metallic leg.

"You've gotta do better than that fella: They'll clip your wings!", Bragg warned, wagging his pale finger at the still body below.

A scowl disturbed Spur's quiet lips while the warm body twitched in his narrow lap. He turned his head as if he was trying to outrun a foul stench. Although he could feel the chest rise and fall slowly beneath the breadth of his palm, he was afraid that he would see death's face in that blank golden stare.

"Spur, don't be tricked by that fool's gold. I bet you're but a year or two shy of him anyhow. He could'a played baseball with my lad for all we know. Maybe he was good at math; a good student. Why you two could have passed each other every day in the school house. He's just a boy.."

Spur turned to the face he had only seen in surveillance footage and photos. Those heavy lids had only made it halfway across the eyeball. His dark lashed loomed over his fixed pupils. The yellow rings brooded round and round his hollow pupils, like a swirling concoction in a witch's brew.

"Brag, I hate to tell you, these windows are broken or there is no one home", he said as he finally managed to pull himself away from the wicked gaze.

Spur rubbed his eyes as they struggled to adjust to the fading light; he was confused. Did he just catch a chill, or had the hair stood up on his arms and the back of his neck? The static glow receded back into the body on his lap. He had nearly forgotten about it all as the opaque black air closed in. Then suddenly he remembered- death, destruction, the ground falling away in his wake, the screams of his mother, all of it. Those eyes, _his eyes_ wouldn't let him forget.

"Aye Spur! We've finished downloading his information, but there are gaps in the damn data. We best take him back to be decommissioned. He'll wipe out the rest of this city if he has another fit! For heaven's sake, we collected bodies for days the last time!"

Bragg brought his wrist to his mouth, turning his back to the drizzling sheets of rain. He left the duo in the dirt, pacing as he made his request. In language Bragg was simple, a man of the hills really, but he had the voice of a negotiator. Bragg knew humility a little too well, at least he claimed to anyway. Spur paid no mind to Bragg's requests for transport. He knew his place in this hierarchy.

"Maybe you were a magician?", Spur shrugged his shoulders, "because you're such an escape artist."

Laughter echoed across the panes of broken glass.

"I knew you wouldn't even laugh at a good joke. Sorry, gotta try those jokes out on someone."

Spur studied him for a reaction- nothing.

"I would have told my girl, but…"

He paused for an invisible audience, spectators in the rain. No one heard, but he wondered if they would care to know.

"You sawed her in hand, and I couldn't put her back together again. What a terrible act! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Spur threw his head back, laughing from his spindly waist. A hacking cough escaped his throat as he tried to catch his breath in the cool night air. Reality was cruel and hard, unyielding at fulfilling its promise to rob happiness, even in morbid moments of joy. His manic echoing laughter was like an angry slap on the cheek bringing him back to the present. His head fell limp on his neck, but no one heard his sigh. His hand trembled over the stony features of the freckled stranger. He started at the forehead and slowly swept down closing those haunting eyes.

"You are no mother's son…", Spur said evenly while he watched those eyes drift halfway open again. Those darting pupils shifted to meet Spur's unwrinkled gaze. A demented smile scrawled onto his young features, and his tongue twisted in his mouth once he saw a glimmer of life.

"You're waking up.", he thoughtfully uttered while he studied the twitching body below.

"Look at me!", he said sharply; he bit his lip when he saw those glaring yellow eyes wince at the sound.

"That's right you just keep looking at me. Now you'll never get to forget …"

His clammy hand slipped into the black jacket liner. Spur withdrew it slowly, being sure that gnawing gold reflected off of the glassy metallic polish. Spur threw his head forward and shaved the barrel of the plasma cannon in his mouth to bite the bullet. The body below him floundered like a fish heaved out of the fisherman's net onto dry ground. Spur pulled the trigger. His hopes, dreams, memories, and common sense exploded through eh back of his skull. His lower jaw hung dislocated and limp from his skull. Those brow eyes crossed t only see the end of his nose forever more. Red mist of blood drifted away in the passing haze of smoke. The red blast of plasma became a twinkle in the charcoal sky. Spur's body fell over head first into the wonderer's chest Steam rose from the piles of splattered brain.

A throaty scream, a roar in the night, brought Bragg running from just a block away. He dug his heels in the dirt and listened to the sound of soft pattering on the ground below. Something floated from the sky to the swirl of grey hair on the top of his head, soft and full like heavy wet snow flakes.

Is it ashes, he wondered silently to himself. He continued to wonder along in the dark crumbling sidewalk, looking for fire on the horizon.

"Spur? Spur?", he called as the noise drew closer and closer.

"What's the matter with you boy? They'll be here any minute. There will be no helping you if ya squall in front of-"

He sealed his mouth and swallowed hard when he turned the corner.

"Spur!", he managed, "What have you done?"

He picked a piece of as from his sparse hair, realizing it was filet thin slivers of skull. Spur's skull. A wail pierced the night, and Bragg froze in place. The stranger rolled to his knees in the mud- screaming, wailing like a beast of the field. He tried to wipe the smut from his stained face, but rubbed the crimson streams of sticky blood into his eyes. The coagulating puddles of blood surrounding them reeked of iron and heavy metal. He bared his teeth and moaned while he teetered to his feet. Blood drifted in the breeze as it dripped from the red hood wrapped around the back of his neck. More panicking screams erupted as he raked his hands through his dark scarlet clumps of matted hair. Bragg was steadfast yet trembling in his boots.

"9949 stand down.", he commanded.

Footsteps edged closer, kicking the rubble. Bragg could see those furious golden eyes closing the gap between them.

"9949 JX stand down, Now! Ya here me!", he said firmly into his wristlet control panel.

"I was good to you boy…Good to ya."

His voice was a solemn echo. It was too late. The rain was blown away in a torrent of cloud, and the light faded away till dawn.


	16. A Daughter's Inheritance

**Author's Note: As always thank you for reading. I am looking for some feed back on this story. All reviews will be appreciated.**

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Trunks' legs lifted a mere few inches at a time. He tried to hike his knees to his chest in his desperate attempt to run. His feet had seeped in, stuck in the mud they tried to escape. His toes stirred up the dirt of the ground, but he failed time and time again to fly away. The lips of the beast smacked together behind him, tasting the sweat of his skin. Saliva flew from its flopping jowls. Black claws reached closer for its prey in each stride, getting closer and closer. Miles of dark abyss waited for his sore soles. Trunks craned his neck to see if it had fallen behind, but hope was lost. Sparks flew from its smoldering heels as if pushed one limb in front of the other. Trunks fell to his knees tripping over his own tired feet. _It_ did not trip. Trunks' blue eyes widened, and his brows made room for his startled gaze. He held his breath, knowing that it would be his last. A yellow eyed ape followed behind him. The demon's forearms were longer than the length of its body; small back legs drug along the ground behind it. Its flesh melted away, falling off of the bone. The demon saw his own reflection in Trunks' eyes, and it could no longer contain its shame. A harrowing scream filled the air. What little Trunks could see had disappeared as the opaque mass blocked out any glimmer of light. The shadow overtook him, and that terrible cry shattered the final mental plane that held Trunks' sanity together.

 _I'm doomed. This is it. He'll chase me forever and ever,_ Trunks thought as the spirit of fear wrapped itself around his weakened body.

Trunks nearly threw himself from the bunk he was laying on. Sweat tickled the edge of his nose. He uncurled his fists from the twisted grey quilt. His lungs were hungry for air. He had nearly stopped panting when he heard it again. His finger prowled the familiar territory of his skin and found peculiar nicks and scratches. He yelped when he accidently scrubbed the large laceration on his leg. He threw his heavy legs one at a time over the edge of the squeaking cot.

"Agh!"

Trunks tried, but could not anticipate the pain he would experience while his burnt skin stretched, opening his wound even more. He thought that a lightning bolt had struck his skull; his head throbbed like the night he met KJ's gavel. He quickly scanned the room. He recognized the warehouse hangar. He was thankful to see something familiar, even if it was just filthy walls and high cracked windows. The door to his right was cracked a few inches from the frame. The face peering at him was unfamiliar yet practically his own. Her lips were parted as if to speak, but something disturbed her intentions. He hushed, forcing himself to stop grunting with pain when he became fully aware of her observation. Something snapped in his tired brain, he jerked the covers over his bare chest, stopping when he reached the crook of his neck. Her thick lashes fluttered, but she did not evade the sight of his bruised body. He sat up straight and squared his shoulders over his knees. He lifted his chin to her sight. This was not the first time those eyes stared her down, but it was the first time they were completely unreadable. One thought clouded her mind, and the same string of words brushed his conscience.

 _I remember._

Her face disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The smell of aged perfume filled his nostrils. Trunks watched her long violet locks cascade over the back of her neck. He listened to the soft tapping of her footsteps walking away. Angry red gnawed at his cheeks. His eyes stewed as he caught the last glimpse of her disappearing form. Storming after her would do nothing at this point. A forced sigh pushed past his lips. For a moment he hid his face in the palms of his hands. His inheritance from his father was composure, but he found it more difficult to hide the building tension with each passing moment. Trunks rose from the bed, stiff as a board. He ducked under the short doorframe and passed into the main foyer. She had disappeared in the stark darkness. He cursed himself for being so nosy.

 _I should have never read her damn diary…_

Thoughts of her roaming in the dark, afraid, flooded his mind. He thought his boiling blood was going to make stock out of his own bones; his ears were painted red. His heart galloped in his chest when he remembered what had happened just hours ago.

 _I'm your father?_

He remembered how her eyes burned right through him when she cried. He didn't have time to give it a second thought. Something in his mind snapped, and all he saw was red. All other concerns fled his mind. Woe to anything that made her frown in that moment, let alone dare to displace a single hair on her head.

 _It was instinctual, almost primal for me. You could have said anything… help! Hey over here!... anything. But instead you cried…_

 _ **Dad!**_

Trunks knotted his tongue, unaware if Estella and Gru were still prowling. A shriek cut through the hollow building. Sweat eased from his pores once again. He remembered the wailing, the sound of that wounded animal in his nightmare.

"Can't be more than a few miles away.", he muttered under his breath.

His ears had not failed him. A shrewd smile curled his lips. He listened to the creaking metal platform above his head. The sound was faint and as subtle as shifting weight from one led to the other.

 _Gotcha!_

Although he respected his father, appreciation was seldom felt since he had become a teenager. For once he longed to thank his father for the blood that filled his veins. His keen eyes and ears no longer were seated with an ignorant heart.

Trunks climbed the stairs, and the warping metal shook beneath his feet. KJ sat obliviously in the corner with a wide spread of clutter before her. She seemed content as she adjusted on her stool. Her elbows stuck to the metal workbench. Trunks waited at the top of the stairs. He leaned against the railings, resting one hand on each rail on both sides. He waited, hoping that she would look up.

"Ahem…", he pretended to clear his sore throat.

KJ's eyes darted to the stairwell to investigate the sound.

"Hello.", she replied quaintly.

Trunks wasn't sure what he was going to say, although he had plenty of practice premeditating his conversations. With his mother he always planned to be a little more shrewd, but his father required him to be forth coming and often too blunt for his taste. The scorching fire on Trunks' tongue lost its kindle when he heard her soft dainty voice. The sound was a feather teasing his red ears. Her bare feet barely touched the floor. The pads of her toes scraped against the concrete from time to time. She barely had enough height to peak at him over the table. The gloves she wore were clearly made for a man, nearly falling off with the flick of her wrist.

"KJ-"

His mind interrupted his mouth. There it was in solid glory, the new master of his violent sword fetish.

"Where did you-?"

Trunks wrapped his hands around the hilt of the massive weapon. It was easily longer than KJ was tall.

"Careful, it's heavy…"

"I can handle it."

 _But can it handle you?_ , she thought.

A blade ran long from hilt to tip as thin and as sharp as a cleaver. The blade swayed away from the hilt, curving near the end. A grey bar of metal rested at the center, coiling into itself just below the edge of the paper thin blade. The sheppards crook wrapped around a prominent smooth sphere. Trunks wanted to hold it just to feel its blemish less texture against his skin. It was intricate and dressed in curves that would make any man's heart skip a beat.

 _No mistake about it. You were crafted by the hands of a woman…_ , Trunks thought as he continued to examine it.

His bright eyes became sullen, while he receded into his thoughts. He polished the dusky stained glass orb with his thumb, careful to avoid leaving a single fingerprint. A trail of them were placed into hollowed titanium, the last was no bigger than the size of a marble. Trunks' brows quirked, and his wrists struggled to nudge the contraption.

"Careful…", she warned him.

 _Please listen to me just once._

He grinned at her triumphantly. She folded her arms over her chest. She brought one knee over the other. She slowly rolled her neck, placing chin over shoulder.

"Whoa…", he mused, casting KJ an excited toothy smile. He was a small boy the last time he gleamed with such curiosity. Pale orchid blue vapor gathered in the center of the marble then migrated to the large glass globe at the end. He nodded his head in approval, when he recognized the feeling coursing through him. The slow drain of ki vibrated his fingertips; they became numb in a matter of seconds. He struggled to hold his wrists steady. His forearms shook although he locked his elbows. The pulsating energy tugged his breast bone and pushed his feet farther apart.

Trunks just tightened his grip. The veins of his forehead became plump beneath the skin. 100,000 volts of electricity hummed in the air, evaporating from his skin.

"That's enough, you'll wake everyone up."

Her work bench shook. KJ hopped from her stool, and the metal rumbled beneath her feet.

"Put it down!"

His cells soaked up that radiating energy. He was drunk in power that he hadn't seen or felt in weeks. He was too close to let go now. His lilac roots were washed in gold, and his hair rose on end, dancing on the crown of his head. Slivers of shattered glass dusted the upper deck. Sharp splinters sprayed onto his bare chest. Plumes of white smoke escaped the barren voids in the metal. He fought to catch his breath. KJ refused to look into his haughty eyes. Trunks was certain that his heart had sunk to his bowels. His blood drained from his clammy face.

"You destroyed it!", she bitterly cried.

He begged Kami that her cheeks would flush and her ears would flare crimson red. He hoped for a balled fist, even profanity, anything. Anything other than what he could not pardon himself for. She rubbed her eye with the back of her hand. The other hung limply by her side. Trunks lowered the battered masterpiece on the workbench. Listless heavy tears spilled from the corners of her sapphire eyes. Trunks were no stranger to tears, knowing that even stone would eventually be eroded away by them. He pictured the blood coursing through her; the blood that he gave her. She was as steadfast as brick and mortar, tucking all the pain away deep within. The artist mourned the loss of earnest hard work. She turned her head away and held her breath. Her mouth quivered under her cupped hand, but she would not turn her back on him. Trunks hated this sight. He disdained the situation he found himself in, loathing the confusion, secrecy, and the powerlessness that he was trapped in. He hated himself however, more than the circumstances.

 _You inherited this pride. I gave you this shame._

"I'm sorry."

"I asked you to stop!" she snapped.

"I know. I was wrong."

The words flopped off of his tongue.

"You never listen to me! You never did!"

KJ's words burned in his chest.

"You-"

KJ fell silent, holding her last scolding remark. He waited for a peep, or a sniffle. A single complaint did not come. For the first time in months his mind was still. He felt it before when she cried out for him at the beach.

"Dad!", those three little letters rand in his mind over and over again.

"Do you remember what happened at the ocean?" she whispered.

"Yes."

"You know way too much. I may disappear from existence."

"You're exaggerating."

"There it is."

'What?"

"Your favorite thing to tell me…"

 _I wonder what else I tell you._

"This is a lot. I'm sure. Let's not make this anymore weird.", she began again.

"It can't get weirder than this…"

"Oh it could… You wanna bet?"

"I don't want to know do I?"

"No. Are you mad?"

Trunks paused as if he hadn't heard the question.

"Let's see… you broke into my house. Then I got warped here. My roommates are a nearly mute alien, an unpredictable red-head, and **you**. Who knows what black magic bull-shit has happened to this planet, but it's made me almost normal. Yes, I'm pissed."

A familiar scream broke the quiet mull of their situation. Trunks peered out the window thinking that he would see _his_ shape hanging in the sky.

"And I have to keep that psycho from killing us all.", he added indignantly.

"Like you have any room to talk. You destroyed what you promised to help me fix!"

Trunks was perplexed.

"It's gone now. You're gone now.", she clarified.

Stray tears trickled down her cheek, clinging to the edge of her chin.

'Try being me, KJ. Just one time, you try being responsible for three other people!"

"What? Responsible! You're not responsible for **me**."

"Do you want to bet little girl?", he mocked her.

"I'm older than you are!"

"Only by years. Do you know how easy it would be for someone like me to hurt you, KJ? I could do just about anything that I want to you…"

"I can wipe the floor with you!", she hissed.

"But… what kind of a man would I be if I didn't feel some sort of responsibility. As long as there is breath in me, I will protect you. If what you say is true, and I am your father, I am no more than dust I can't keep my own flesh and blood safe."

"If you don't mind. I am aware that this is a tremendously important conversation…"

Trunks and KJ simultaneously turned to the full-bodied, voluptuous voice. Estella silently climbed the remaining three platform steps. She was gowned in the same silver train the night Trunks pulled her from the tower. Disgrace settled in his heart. Trunks tried to remove its filthy roots, but his thoughts had already sprouted blooming in full floor.

 _Do I want to know how KJ is so well acquainted with you…? Oh Kami forgive me."_

Estella was taken aback. She fidgeted with the stud in her right ear and batted her eyes. Trunks was holding KJ in his arms. Her face was buried in the crook of his neck.

"Well…", she regained her composure, "Would you two mind to shut the hell up! Just yell at your dad tomorrow…"

"What are you talking about Stell?", she asked flatly, "He may be my father, but he's not my papa."

KJ broke from his grip, and he released her. She slipped through his fingers. She stormed off, receding to the back of the hanger. Estella faded away, back down the steps. She understood that KJ was best left alone at times like this. Trunks was left alone with his broken ghost, the blue mist that shattered with the glass.


	17. Jaded

**Hello, How are all of my fanfiction peeps? I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've updated. Please review! I would love some feed back on this chapter. Thank you for reading. Enjoy!**

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"Whis San, I'm going to be sick!" Goku whined.

"You shouldn't have eaten so much before we left."

A prism of light gathered in the night. A scraggly grey alley cat fled at the sound of their voices and looked for somewhere else to hide from the rain. The void vomited Goku onto the ground. Vegeta and Whis came into existence in the snap of a finger, quick and painless.

"You didn't have to kick me out Vegeta!", Goku grumbled as he rubbed his head.

"And let you purge your guts all over me? No."

 _No, No, No, No, No, No, No, no, no…._

Vegeta's quiet response bounced off of every empty structure around them. The city scape was void, or at least they thought…

Goku lifted himself from his knees. Vegeta studied the narrow corridor of trash and disintegrated brick. Whis tightly clutched his staff. His usual, uninvolved yawn did not come to his pursed lips. His gaze dropped to the affairs of the planet, unlike so many other occasions before. Goku's forehead wrinkled at the odd display of concern. Whis looked into the crystal of his staff. Vegeta strained to see, only finding condensation on the stone. Goku stared at the orb intently.

"This way." Whis sighed.

Vegeta stared into the dark stone, while Goku did the same. Whis strolled away, focusing on the staff in his hands. Goku and Vegeta followed the stone with their eyes although their bodies lagged behind. Whis paused, lacing his fingers around his staff once again.

"We are taking far too long.", Vegeta interrupted him.

"Vegeta, I would have thought that you would be less eager to complete such a task."

Whis perked Vegeta's interest. His brows rose at the cautious tone in Whis's voice. His mind wondered to the moment when _it_ would have to happen.

"I hate to say it, but Vegeta does have a point. Why are we just walking around? Where are we?" Goku joined.

"Tell me, Goku, when was the last time you simply walked to your destination?"

The gears grinded in Goku's mind as he tried to remember.

"As I thought.", Whis affirmed mildly, "Both of you are terribly spoiled."

Whis quietly turned on his heels. A meek yet wise smile appeared on his flat features.

"I suppose with the strength of a God, surely you could fly." Whis reminded them.

Whis shrewdly twisted his neck and peered at the two men from the corners of his eyes. Goku's shoulders relaxed throwing then back in routine. He stepped into the sky allowing his ankles to relax. It lasted for a few seconds, until gravity fumbled him into the mud. Goku franticly hopped in the air, but could not focus his ki beneath him to fly. Goku balled his fists and attempted to channel his energy. His voice grew louder and louder as he failed to find his center.

"No amount of screaming will bring you focus Goku." Whis added.

Goku's voice wavered, dampening until it was below a whisper. Vegeta remained unreadable. His right hand was tucked against his breast. He quietly released his palm from his chest, focusing a small ball of energy in his hand. Goku finally caught his breath and looked to Whis for an explanation. A cheeky smile crawled on Vegeta's face.

"Whis what's happened to my ki?"

"It's still there." Whis chuckled as if the statement was silly.

"I feel so weak." Goku rambled.

"Weak? No. You've been subdued. You must have the determination and drive to withdraw it and focus it. It is just more difficult now. Funny what the invention of a mortal can accomplish…"

"No fair! Vegeta, how are you doing that?"

"Goku, your talent may be your sheer strength, but Vegeta's gift is his driven nature." Whis answered.

"A gift…" Vegeta scoffed as he studied the small orb recalling years of hard work.

"Indeed." Whis agreed before all fell quiet, "One might even call if favor…"

" _Beerus-sama, must we be so idle in this matter?"_

" _There is no matter, Whis."_

" _Oh, come now. Don't tell me you've grown deaf to their pleas."_

" _Most plead for their own lives. Some beg for the lives of others; this is no different Whis."_

" _The creator would frown upon this."_

" _He may. So be it. Only I may answer to Zeno for myself, not him."_

" _Where is your discretion?" the attendant asked sharply._

" _Where is your interest truly, Whis?" Beerus asked rhetorically._

" _She is but a child-"_

" _But a child? Never before has such a thing come from your lips. I am no fool; you brought her forth from her mother's womb. Such favor that she was born clean, bundled in satin… the apple of your eye."_

" _I considered it a gift." Whis rolled his eyes forward to the fish swimming in Beerus' aquarium, "I remember like it was yesterday" Whis began. Beerus' ears angled back slowly in agitation._

" _My sister Vados told me to leave that crate alone. She was convinced that it would be full of nothing but trash. I remember her tell me that 'the wind has deceived your ears. I hear no crying.' Instead, I recall us finding two little-"_

" _Fine. Make your intercession." Beerus interrupted before stalking away to his rounded bed. He had already grown tired of this story._

Whis' quiet thoughts were abruptly drawn back to the present. A voice broke the still of the night. A pain filled moan bounced against their ears.

"There you are." Whis said.

"There who is?", Vegeta asked.

The stern man's voice flinched. To Whis, Vegeta's words might as well have been dripping with anxiety. Vegeta apprehensively edged closer to him. The cusp of the attendant's robe tangled in the torrid wind.

"We are just a few miles away. The flight is short; you will see."

Whis took to the air easily. Vegeta wobbled behind Whis as he elevated himself. Goku again tried to step into the atmosphere. His knees knocked as he slowly levitated from the ground. Goku's face contorted with strain when he finally achieved the same height as the other two men in the sky. They all silently proceeded. Goku and Vegeta dragged a few feet behind Whis. Although the city boiled over with ruin, Goku's mind returned to more innocent images. He recalled watching Gohan tumble in the air as a small boy when he was leaning how to fly. A loud animalistic howl wiped the smile right off of Goku's face. Whis touched down on one of the many leaning towers in the stagnant landscape. Whis held his weight on his right heel; the narrow business tower teetered on its right shoulder. Vegeta and Goku quickly touched down behind Whis. Vegeta balanced himself on the raised edge of the tower. It was no longer a mystery where the bone chilling noises were resonating from. There he was at the other edge of the building, the specter of the city. He was like a mirage to Goku and Vegeta. Goku stared at the young man, who had his back to them, for quite some time. No one spoke a word, and Vegeta struggled to hold his tongue. A chill tingled between Vegeta's shoulder blades. He couldn't pry his eyes away from the metal contraption protruding from the back that faced them. It was a maze of metal platforms crossing his wide shoulder blades, narrowing to the small of his back. It was like the body of a scorpion in form. Vegeta had seen many things in his jaded years, but he struggled to wrap his mind around it. He could easily discern that his condition was not an organic one. Vegeta was no stranger to technology, yet that answer also did not clearly fit.

"Excuse me!" Goku called.

"Kakarrot, what are you doing?"

"Are you alright?!" Goku said as he ignored the saiyan prince.

The trio waited for a reply, but Goku's docile request went unanswered.

Vegeta watched the silhouette of the man shuffle in the rain. First his head turned, and Vegeta traced the outline of his nose and chin with his eyes. Vegeta's spirit stirred as the strangers rigid joints moved. He began to twist stiffly at the waist. The rain began to be dumped from the clouds in fat droplets.

"Are you hurt?!" Goku yelled again, "What happened to this place?"

The stranger remained within their line of sight. He refused to move or part his lips to speak to the on lookers. Goku's curiosity continued to build, warping with each passing second into apprehension. Goku had come to learn that small, still voice inside was usually right.

 _I've got a bad feeling about this…_

"Hiya, sorry to be rude, my name is Goku."

Like rubbing salt in a wound, the figure took notice of his voice, unable to avoid them any longer. He finally turned. The rain tumbled off of his bare shoulders, each small drop bounced off his bones collecting on his neck and chin. A long scarlet cloth was wrapped around his neck and head. The waist of his black pants dipped just below his navel. Vegeta edged forward, inspecting the blurry load clutched in his arms.

"Who are you?" Goku continued.

The figure in the rain was like a statue, rigid and forged out of hard mottled stone. A few moments of silence passed between the two parties. Vegeta watched as the heavy bundle tumbled from the stranger's arms. His arms were bare before them, and his elbows were locked as if he was yet to be aware that it had fallen. Goku clenched his teeth when soupy red pool formed beneath the dumped mass.

"GOKU…?" his deep scared voice called across the rooftop.

"Yes, I'm Gok-."

He brought one foot in front of the other before Goku finished his name. Vegeta watched him raise his stiff knee pausing at Goku's words before stepping over the obstacle in his way. Goku pressed ahead, eager to close the gap between them. Vegeta crossed his arms and quietly paced behind him. Goku's mind wondered again to his own sons as the face beneath the red hood became clear. His face was as stern as a man who had prowled the earth for many years, but there were no lines on his skin.

 _You might be a few years older than Goten,_ Goku thought.

Goku stopped with both of his feet together and threw his hand up in a friendly wave now that they were a few feet apart. The stranger jerked back from the waist and lowered his head when Goku raised his hand.

"Whoa, hey there, it's alright." Goku called and instinctually threw his hands in the air.

"Goku…" he slowly growled from beneath his scarf.

"We're wasting time Kaka-", Vegeta scolded Goku before he looked beneath the red hood.

Those glaring eyes stole his attention. His yellow irises glowed against his raised cheeks. The cracking golden flame swirled around his narrowing pupils. The skin crinkled at the corners of his flared nostrils. Water trickled from the wet strands of hair draped across his forehead.

"It's alright. I'm just trying to help you." Goku quietly explained as he slowly reached for the stranger's muscular shoulder. His ruddy skin was mottled with hues of yellow and green.

A closed fist darted from the stranger's waist, blocking Goku's hand with the outside of his wrist. His knees bent and his left boot edged toward his back, shifting his weight. A pleased grin tugged at the corners of Goku's mouth. Vegeta recognized that look; it was Goku's very nature. He couldn't resist a fight.

"I see." Goku said calmly as he stepped back.

Goku looked over his shoulder at Whis, who lingered at the edge of the building. Whis didn't bat an eye, but he lowered his gaze. His index finger and thumb framed his chin and cheek. He nodded at the three men on the center of the roof. Thunder shook the heavens and the bottom fell out, dumping torrents of cold rain. Darkness covered the land from east to west. Goku mustered his strength and tried to draw it forth from deep within. His body glowed and his hair fluttered on end, but his eyes were still as black as coal. His hair was still as dark as the feathers of a raven. Goku assumed his stance and waited. The stranger stretched out his hand and long fingers. Goku stared at the end of the hooded man's finger tips. He could feel the pull inside of his chest. The man beneath the hood glowed from the inside out. Vegeta could see the outline of his thick bones beneath the jade hue of his skin. Goku gasped at the energy thief stealing what he had to work so hard to bring forth. The young hand plowed his fist into Goku's jaw, tossing his head back toward his shoulders. Goku threw his knee into his opponent's abdomen. The man's saliva sprayed Goku's shoulder as the breath was being pushed from his body. Goku quickly returned to his ready stance. The assailant hurled his leg at Goku's head. Goku ducked beneath his thick leg feeling the ends of his bangs grazing the fabric of his slacks. They exchanged a flurry of kicks and punches. Goku's fist was caught in the palm of his opponent's hand. Goku's elbow cracked as it gave under the wrenching pressure. Goku continued called upon his ki, but it wouldn't come. The taller man wrapped his arms around Goku and squeezed. Goku's head was trapped against his chest and bicep. The other arm constricted around his ribs like a python around its prey. Vegeta's mouth fell agape when he heard the sound of crunching bone and failing ribs. Goku split Vegeta's ears with pain until…

KAIOKEN!

Goku broke away from his opponent. The ends of the red scarf were the final thing to fall to the ground. Goku's opponent lay motionless on the roof of the building. Goku burned red in the dark of the night. His hands rested on his knees. His hot breath was visible in cool air. Static gathered around the still body sprawled before him. The warrior rose straight up from his muddy rest in an eerie resurrection. His arms were spread wide to balance his broad shoulders over his narrow hips. Goku narrowed his eyes on the still form before him.

"Your move."

A thin grin dimpled Goku's right cheek. He studied his opponent's response.

 _Let's see what you got._

Sound sleep had not visited Vegeta for days. His eye lids had not been this heavy since his daughter was an infant, but he was unable to settle. Those yellow pits in the young man's eyes stirred his spirit. His brows furrowed and his eyes were wide with anticipation.

"Kakarrot, what are you waiting for?!", he barked, "I've had enough of this foolishness!"

The stranger cocked his head over his brawny right shoulder in curiosity. He then drew his gaze forward toward the coarse voice that called to his opponent. The fierce lines that carved his face had disappeared. Goku thought that he could hear a distinctive gulp. His diamond shaped eyes stared through Goku, paying him no mind. Goku's tense stance softened and he drew his legs closer together. Goku turned at the waist to find what grabbed his attention. Vegeta would not relent, determined to win this staring contest. Goku's attention returned when he heard footsteps pattering along the puddles of the roof top. Goku's sure spirit was filled with hesitation when the stranger's hand ventured away from his side, lingering in the space between them.

"Hi there, fella." Goku said quietly as he reached with his own hand, "Nice to meet ya."

Their hands met, and rain droplet sprayed from their squeezing palms. Goku's friendly smile was interrupted. He flinched, jerking his elbow. Goku looked down finding that his wrist was ensnared between the stranger's long fingers and thumb. His bones were bending under the pressure of his strong grip. Before he could free himself, Goku's veins bulged, his heart raced, and his pupils dilated. His red aura crossed the threshold of his wrist into the stranger's hand. His wrist was burning from the inside out. Goku's knees buckled as if he was melting. The stranger placed his other hand between Goku's bare neck and shoulder pushing him closer to the ground. Goku's voice reached a new octave as he cried out in agony. He felt that he had been invaded, drained for all he was worth, like cancer in his bones. Goku's red aura was being leeched into his opponent's dark skin.

"VEEGGEETAA! HE'S TURNING ME INSIDE OUT!"

Whis remained still with eyes made of stone. Vegeta quivered in his boots. He had never heard Goku's voice so plagued. Just years ago, Vegeta imagined the day he would hear Goku cry out his name in pain, begging for mercy. I thought it would be the nectar of all sweet things, how he would relish it.

 _I never thought I could be so wrong, that one day when that voice comes that_ _ **I**_ _would be coming to your rescue. Damn you Kakarrot._

Goku collapsed onto the concrete roof. He felt his skin shrinking across the bones of his chest. The thief stood over him, his glowing heart in plain sight under his skin. The energy was circuiting through his circulation illuminating the shadows of his bones. Goku was amazed that his heart could endure such shocking abuse.

 _This is it. There is no helping him. He's going to kill me._

Goku closed his eyes and focused on his breath, when his thoughts were interrupted by Vegeta's boot. Vegeta leapt from the sky, drilling his heel into the side of the thief's heavy skull. The bruised warrior fell clumsily on his side.

"Get up Kakarrot!" Vegeta urged him without taking his eyes off of the thief.

The thief lumbered to one knee. He rubbed the side of his head with his fingertips. A groan escaped his lips, like a child being scolded.

"I'd like to see you try to pull that trick on me." Vegeta warned.

Whis took a single casual step forward, and the stranger stepped back, dipping his boot into a puddle. Vegeta watched the speechless man's eyes dart back and forth between them.

 _What are you looking for?_

He ran as fast as his feet could carry him. Whis' purple lips turned down in a soft frown as he watched the boy dash directly to the edge of the building. He leapt to the ledge and looked over his shoulder once again. His stern eyes rounded when he looked at Vegeta. He loomed over the edge of the roof.

 _What are you waiting for boy?_ Vegeta thought.

Vegeta edged to the spilled mound on the roof careful not to enter the watery scarlet pool slowly escaping from it. He looked up expecting to see him on the corner ledge, but he was gone.

* * *

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